Laws of Attraction
by sierraemilie
Summary: Hermione Granger lands her dream job working for the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. When she proposes a bill to the members of the Wizengamont, one member will make her life complicated. (I changed the title of the story because the other one was driving me crazy!)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've put a hold on my Remione story. Not forever. I plan to finish it I promise! Feeling uninspired with that story and I know I'll finish it eventually. This has been in the works in my head for a bit. I have about 5 chapters written so far and will probably update once a week, maybe twice if I feel like I can. I'm trying to really stay on top of the writing with this story so I don't leave ya'll hanging. It's my first Dramione so go easy on me? or don't. Feedback is welcomed! and I'm not going to give a whole lot away right now about the story. Just stick with me for the set up chapters. okay I'm going to shut up now. P.s. looking for a Beta. PM me if you're interested and are willing to put up my learning disabilities that sometimes makes me write like a 4 year old. OKAY NOW I'M REALLY GOING.

 **Disclosure: I don't own anything Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. She's kind of amazing incase you didn't already know that.**

The Atrium of the Ministry of Magic was packed to the brim. A brunette with wild curls huffed as she tried to squeeze past the crowds. Her brown leather briefcase, gifted to her by her father, made an excellent tool in this circumstance. She shoved the briefcase hard into a wizards back and apologized sweetly as she moved past.

"This _will make you look professional pumpkin."_ The young woman muttered sarcastically, impersonating her father's deep voice.

At only twenty two, Hermione Granger had managed to land her dream job. While no feat in the Wizarding World, she was basically a rockstar in the Muggle World. She felt completely ready to tackle this job.

What she wasn't ready for was slipping on some water by the fountain and falling on her arse. In front of everyone. Her face turned red as people stared. Finally, an outstretched arm came into her line of vision. She looked at the hand and slowly, the persons face.

Theodore Nott was wearing a dashing smile. His black hair was perfectly combed and slicked to one side. He had the typical, Pure-Blood features. Strong jaw lines and a gorgeous face to match. Hermione was still on her arse looking at him with a dumb founded expression. Theodore smirked.

"I've left the great know-it-all Granger speechless." He said, the smirk still plastered on his face.

His comment shook Hermione out of her stupor. She blushed from embarrasment and accepted his hand as he hoisted her upright.

"How would your wife feel talking to me like that Nott." She said teasingly. Theodore Nott was married to the beautiful Astoria Greengrass.

"My wife has always been open to such things involving more than one." Theo laughed at her shocked expression.

She cleared her throat and bent down to pick up her briefcase, missing the fact that several men were now getting a view of her dust covered bottom. Hermione gave Theo a nod and walked towards the lifts. When she entered the lift, Theo slid in next to her.

"We work in the same department now." He said quietly. When she didn't respond he turned to see her looking at him, brows furrowed.

"Oh now, don't give me that look. A lot of time has passed since the war. A lot of us have changed. I've changed." Theo said seriously.

"I-I'm sorry Nott. Forgive me. It wasn't right for me to assume." Hermione said quickly.

Theo smiled and nudged her shoulder. "It's okay. Honest mistake." Their conversation was interrupted by voice of the lift announcing their floor.

"Level Four. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Theo stepped off the lift and walked towards his office leaving Hermione frozen on the spot. She took some deep breathes and tried to smooth out her curls.

She walked into the head of the department's office. Mr. Harold Abbott was a sweet man. Hermione had gone to school with Hannah Longbottom née Abbott, his daughter. He pushed one sleeve of his dark purple robes up to shake her hand.

"Miss Granger. How lovely to have you added to our team. You are just what the Beast Division needs and you are more than qualified!" He said kindly.

Hermione blushed at the compliment. "Thank you sir. I already have several projects In mind! I was hoping I could show you this Bill I've written up about Werewolf rights?"She said excitedly.

"You've already gotten it written up?" Mr. Abbott inquired, looking at Hermione in amazement.

"Yes sir. It needs some slight tweaking but..."She said shyly.

"Well then that's great news! You can have a tour later but let's get you to your new office! The Wizengamont is back in session in two and half weeks! I know you'll have that bill ready to present them!" Mr. Abbott stated.

"Two and half weeks?" Hermione asked quietly.

His smile faltered slightly as he spoke. "Yes my dear! I could have sworn I mentioned that in my Owl! If this is too much too soon we..."

"NO! I mean, no sir. I can do it." Hermione interrupted. Her boss clapped his hands together happily.

* * *

After she met everyone in the department, Hermione settled behind her cherry wood desk. She gingerly placed her briefcase on top of the desk and flicked the locks open. She took the stack of papers from inside and held them close. Hermione beamed as she read the first page.

In bold letters, it read,

 **Lupin's Law.**

 **Be it enacted by The Wizengamont that Half-blood, Werewolves will have the same basic living rights as Witches and Wizards.**

"I like the new office Mione." A voice spoke from her office door, startling Hermione. She looked up to see the smiling face of Harry Potter.

"Harry!" She exlaimed. She put the proposed bill on her desk and crossed the room swiftly to hug him.

"You look lovely Mione. Come over for dinner this weekend. We can celebrate your new job!" Said Harry as he hugged her tightly.

"I would love to but it looks like I'm going to be quite busy." Hermione motioned to her desk.

"You'll do great. You'll be seeing me in the Potter seat!" Harry said, puffing out his chest proudly.

She spotted the pin next to his Auror badge that showed him as a member of the sacred twenty eight. He had recently taken up his family's seat in The Wizegmont. She rolled her eyes at his antics. "I'm afraid this new responsibility is going to your head. But you'll love my proposal! I've really got to get to work. It means so much that you came by. Tell Ron to stop by when he gets a chance?" Hermione said, ruffling his hair in the process.

"Of course. See you soon!" Harry quickly pulled her into another hug and strolled out of her office.

Hermione sighed audibly and slumped back into her seat.

"Right. Let's do this." She said out loud, a pen already tucked behind her ear and eyes full of determination.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the second chapter. Still kind of in the set up but the next chapter has some Dramione interaction and some things happen... (I'm a bit vague but I have to keep interest somehow okay?) Feedback always welcome! Still looking for a Beta so excuse the mess.

Disclosure: I don't Harry Potter, but boy I wish I did. J.K. is queeeeen.

* * *

Hermione sat on top of the conference room table, her legs swinging forwards and backwards. She was waiting on a meeting to start but came early to review her notes. Lavender nee Brown, was bit by the notorious Greyback in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione played a part in saving her life, though she didn't know it at the time. They quickly became friends, setting their old feud aside. Hermione stood proudly as a bridesmaid at Ron and Lavender's wedding. Lavender suffered the same fate as Bill Weasley. Not fully a werewolf, but experience most of the symptoms pre-moon and on the full moon. Still, both were technically half-blood's now and were directly impacted by her Bill proposal should it become law. For these reasons, Hermione felt their input was crucial. She was distracted by her thoughts that she missed the door swinging open.

Theodore Nott walked in finally grabbing her attention. He wasn't alone. Keeping his distance behind Nott was a face Hermione hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Just have to finish something up Granger and I'll be back." Theo said with a cheeky wink. She missed the wink however because she couldn't stop staring at the tall, pale, (admittedly handsome) blonde man, who refused to meet her eyes.

Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater, was given a trial after the war. It was Hermione and Harry's statements on his character that allowed him a life free of Azkaban. And he couldn't even look her in the face.

"Yes that's fine." She said dismissively, her eyes still fixed on Malfoy.

"Granger?" Theo asked, waving his hands comically in front of her face.

She finally turned her head to look at Theo.

"You should probably sit in a chair like a normal person. That desk is brand new and Mr. Abbott is attached to it. He'd probably throw a fit if he found a scratch." Theo said, smirking at her.

Hermione's legs stopped swinging and a slight blush crept up her neck. As she was hopping off the desk she glanced at Malfoy to find his fierce gaze on her.

"See you in a minute." She said curtly, not waiting for his response as she turned away. She bit her bottom lip in thought as she heard them leave the room.

She wondered why Malfoy was in their department. She knew he served on the Wizengamont, but Malfoy Industries didn't usually operate out of the Ministry. She shook her head and quietly chastised herself. "Nott and Malfoy are friends Hermione. He can go wherever he pleases."

A minute later Lavendar, Bill and Nott walked inside the conference room. Hermione passed out copies of the bill and waited while they looked it over.

"Hermione this is brilliant." Bill finally spoke.

"But..." She asked timidly.

"But it needs a few changes. The Wizegamont isn't going to agree to all of this." Bill said honestly.

"He's right Mione. You're going to have to make some compromises." Lavender spoke gently.

Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair feeling frustrated. "You're both right of course. Nott? Do you have any suggestions?" She turned to her co worker, who was looking at her strangely.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and Hermione wondered why he was suddenly acting so weird.

"Well. I mean, we are going to have to add in some kind of wellness checks." Theo looked up to see three sets of glares directed at him. He rolled his eyes. "Bunch of bleeding Gryffindor's. I mean, we can have a healer check them out. Make sure they are getting their Wolfsbane and actually taking it. Make sure they are getting everything they need post moon recovery. Pain potions and such? Emotional needs have to be met as well. We can provide a counselor and pass it off like we are making sure they aren't dangerous. Which, I'm sure there will be a few we have to worry about. We can adjust it with each case. Your idea to provide them with free Wolfsbane is brilliant Hermione and it's in the budget. But the Wizegamont will want more safety measures in place." Theo spoke passionately.

Hermione could only nod. He was correct of course. After another thirty minutes of hashing out ideas the meeting ended. She was walking out the door when she noticed Nott giving her that same, strange look. She brushed it off and went back into her office.

* * *

It was Wednesday morning when her boss approached her with the worst possible news.

"Hermione, I'm going to need you to attend the Ministry Charity Ball this Friday." After the words left Mr. Abbott's smiling face, Hermione found it hard to swallow.

"But sir…It's a week before the Wizegamont session starts! I need the weekend to prepare!" Hermione pleaded.

"You'll be fine Miss Granger. Besides, members if The Wizegamont always attend these social events. It's a perfect opportunity for you to get into good graces with the seat holders. Have our department seen in a good light! You won't be alone as Mr. Nott will be in attendance." Mr. Abbott explained.

Hermione sighed. 'It would be a good opportunity.' She thought to herself. She looked into her bosses face knowing there was no way she could get out of it.

"Yes sir. Of course I'll go." She said with a fake smile.

Mr. Abbott gave a loud belly laugh. "It's not a death sentence Miss Granger." He said from her office door before leaving.

"Not for you maybe." She muttered under her breath. Hermione groaned and rested her head on the table.

"Bugger! I need to find a dress!" She exclaimed loudly, hearing snickers from the co worker next door. She glared at the connecting wall hoping Susan Bones could feel it. She grabbed some spare parchment and a quill to scribble a note to her best friend Ginny Potter. She requested a shopping trip knowing Ginny would immediately say yes. She stashed it in her bag to be Owled later.

* * *

Hermione lives walking distance to Diagon Alley, in a little muggle flat. She found she liked being close between the two worlds she belonged to. After work she's stroll around Diagon Alley and frequently stop inside Flourish and Blotts. Occasionally she'd pick up some quills for Harry or Ron, knowing that they either broke or lost their previous ones. She'd pop into the Leaky Couldron to say hello to a VERY pregnant Hannah Longbottom, and catch her up about her father. Today however, Hermione stood in front of a shop that raised her anxiety and blood pressure. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Ginny Potter spotted her friend looking glum at the shop's sign and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Hermione, you've fought Death Eaters and lived to tell the tail. It's just dress shopping!" Ginny said with a giggle.

Hermione took a deep breathe and mustered up her courage. "You've made your point. Let's go." Hermione tugged on Ginny's arm leading her into the shop.

It wasn't just the dress shopping she hated. It was the shop owner. Madam Malkin had a habit of making a huge deal any time one of the Golden Trio (or their spouses) walked into the door. As if on que with Hermione's thoughts, an old witch seemed to have popped out of no where.

"Miss Granger! Miss Potter! What a pleasant surprise! What can I do for you? Oh! You have to see our new collection! It's a bit on the pricey side but you two can always expect the best here! Anything for two war heros! Here just follow me to the back." The woman said excitedly, and all in one breathe. Hermione turned to Ginny who was looking at her sheepishly.

"I know, I'm sorry. But you are not going to the ball in any of the dresses you own." Ginny said in a hushed voice. Hermione scoffed at the insult to her wardrobe.

"Are you ladies coming?!" Madam Malkin shouted from the back of the shop.

"Let's go before she has an aneurism." Hermione sighed in defeat.

"Ana what?" Ginny asked confused. Hermione laughed as she walked passed the rows of bright fabric.

* * *

Hours later Hermione and Ginny left the shop. Hermione was trying to conceal the slight smile on her face.

"Mione I can't wait to see you rock that dress!" Ginny gushed.

Hermione gave Ginny a dismissive wave. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She saw a flash of blonde turn down an alley. Hermione frowned as she stared down the alley.

"What are you looking at?" Ginny asked.

"Me? Oh nothing. just thought I saw..." Hermione trailed off mid sentence.

Ginny let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Right. I think all that shopping made you loopy. Let's pop in somewhere for a bite and a drink yeah?" Ginny teased.

Hermione's eyes lingered on the alley as they walked to the bar.

* * *

Thursday morning Theodore Nott kissed his wife, and left for work early. Very, very early. He walked calmly. Theo liked to be early so he could make the coffee. He felt the only other person who new how to make a proper pot coffee was Granger. Once the coffee was made in the break room, he walked into his office and closed the door. He took a slow sip and moaned as he casted a non verbal Lumos, flooding the room in light.

"Always so dramatic Theo." Said a voice behind his desk, making Theo jump in freight, causing him to dump his hot coffee all over himself.

"What are you doing here Draco?" Theo asked suspiciously.

Now Draco seemed to look nervous. "It's bad. This time around is going to be really bad, I can feel it." He fidgeted with his hands.

Theo took a step closer attempting to comfort his childhood friend, but paused when he saw Draco raise his hand to stop him. "Please. I'm sorry it's just. The smell is all over this fucking office! I can't get close to anyone right now." Draco pleaded with anxiety filled eyes.

"Draco." Theo spoke calmly. "I have a calming draught in my desk drawer. Take it mate."

With shaking fingers Draco opened the drawer and uncorked the bottle. He brought the bottle up to his lips and downed it in one gulp. Theo waited a minute before he spoke.

"Better?" He asked sincerely.

Draco nodded. "The ball...I have to go to keep up appearances." Draco said sounding much calmer.

"And to watch out for her?" Theo asked gently.

Draco folded his arms over his chest and sat still, refusing to answer.

Theo sighed and gestured to the seat, silently asking permission to sit. Draco gave him a curt nod. "You've got to tell her. I'm helping you keep this secret, but things are going to get so much worse for you, for her and frankly everyone. I can't in my right mind let this go on forever Draco."

Draco glared at Theo, imagining all the ways he could kill him in that moment.

"See? You look batshit right now. You'll tell her sooner rather than later okay?"

Again, Draco refused to respond.

"Just talk to her. A simple conversation at the ball. My understanding is she's going to be talking to Wizegamont members anyway about a project." Theo suggested.

"Simple conversation. Right. I can do that." Draco took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves.

"See? Now please, go home. Shower. Buy new robes for the ball. Practice conversation in front of the mirror, I don't care. But she's going to be here soon. Unless you'd like to start talking to her today while your wearing PJ's..." Theo said with an amused smirk as he looked at the silk pajamas his friend was wearing.

"No!" Draco shot out of his seat and ran to the door. He turned around and gave Theo an embarrassed smile. "I'm not about to get mushy. But, um thanks for the potion and stuff." and with that he ran out the door.

Theo shook his head in astonishment. 'Tomorrow is going to be interesting.' He thought to himself. Theo walked back to the break room for a new cup of coffee and began his day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I was super busy this past week because my brother got married! I have a new sister! SUPPA EXCITING. Anywho, here's chapter three!. reviews are always welcomed. I'm going to try to keep up on responding to them.**

Disclosure: JKR owns everything. I own nothing. Except a dog.

* * *

Hermione stood in front of her full length mirror in her flat. She was twisting and turning to examin herself in the ruby red, floor length gown. It had a slight shimmer to it. She thought the strapless, sweetheart neck line was quite flattering. A slit went up her right thigh. While fashionable, Hermione mainly got it so she could easily access to her wand, which was strapped to her thigh tightly. The dress hugged her curves and was perfectly tailored. Her brown curls were a little more tame and flowed down her back. Hermione genuinely felt sexy. Something she hadn't felt in awhile.

She thought back on the last time she shagged a man. It had been a year, maybe longer. Men often felt intimidated by her. She was part of the Golden Trio. She was smart and so men would feel inadequate in conversation. The worst part, Hermione thought, was that men never actually tried. They came in without confidence and that's not exactly cute. She heard the clock ding in the corner of her room. She commissioned Molly Weasley to make her a clock like the one that lived in the Burrow. Supposedly, the clock would magically add a face should someone important come into her life. Or if she had children, they would appear the day they were born. Hermione thought it was brilliant magic. Currently, it showed the Potter family, minus two mini Potter's arriving. A second later she heard a knock on the door. She grabbed her clutch and opened the door.

"Wow! Mione! I'm sooo glad I talked you into this one." Ginny took Hermione's hand and made her twirl around.

Harry Potter beamed at Hermione with a clean shaven face and his hair slicked back neatly.

"You're looking sharp." Hermione said to Harry, admiring Ginny's handy work at dressing the man. She turned to Ginny and hugged her tightly. Ginny was wearing an emerald green gown with thin straps. Her red hair had been pinned back out of her face and she looked stunning.

"You look beautiful Gin." Hermione twirled Ginny around. The girls laughed and Harry checked his watch.

"Best be off. The Ministry cars are waiting outside." He said. Hermione looked over Harry's shoulder to see two Ministry cars that had obviously been stretched to resemble a muggle Limousine. She had always wanted to ride in one but never had the chance.

'Perhaps tonight won't be too awful.' She thought to herself as she locked up her apartment and climbed into the sleek black car.

* * *

The Annual Ministry Charity Ball involved four things. Schmoozing the higher ups in the Ministry, free alcohol, long dry speeches, and if you were with a date, dancing. If you were single, more drinking. The decorations were breath taking as usual when they walked into the ball room. Hermione found that easier to focus on then the whispering from other guests.

"There's Harry Potter!" one woman whispered dreamily.

"His wife Ginevra is a firecracker. Watch out for her." Her friend said a little louder.

"is THAT Hermione Granger? She'll make Witch Weekly's best dressed for sure." Another woman said.

Hermione looked at her best friend's walking with poise next to her. She wished she could achieve that kind of confidence, but in truth, the papers have never been kind to her. It did affect her, after all she was only human.

Hermione made a bee line for the bar, happy that she put a cushioning charm on her strappy high heels. She ordered a glass of elf wine, hoping to calm her nerves. She saw some members of the Wizengamont stand with Minister Shacklebot. Hermione was close with Kingsely after the war. He respected her opinion and never once talked down to her even when she was a teenager. She chatted with the group about her proposed bill and the legislative session in general. The members seemed interested in what Hermione had to say, but she chalked that up to the Minister being right there. She walked over to her reserved seating and sat down. She was examining the menu laying ontop of the table when she heard glass clinking to get everyone's attention. Hermione looked to the front to see Kingsely standing proudly at his podium.

"Welcome, to the Annual Charity ball! This year's donations will be given to the new children's ward at St. Mungos and the orphanage that still holds children misplaced by the war. These children are our future and I'm glad to see us taking action to support them! Now, tonight I hope you all enjoy the food, the dancing and the company. But I also hope you reflect on why we hold this event year after year. Thank you for your attendance and generous contributions!" Kingsely finished with his arms wide open. Hermione thought he looked like Dumbledore when he did that.

* * *

The ball room was filled with the sound of silverware hitting plates, an orchestra, delicious smelling food, and the loud chatter of the guests. Hermione's table however was quiet. She was seated with Harry, Ginny, Hannah, Neville, Theo, Astoria, and Draco Malfoy. The had made polite conversation before the table became quiet. Neville, bless his Gryffindor courage, took the plunge.

"Hermione, since every male at this table is in the Wizegamont, maybe you could tell us about your bill?" He questioned kindly. She smiled and took a swig of her wine before she spoke.

"Well, It has to do with my department obviously. I'm proposing a bill that will hopefully allow Werewolves to have the same basic living rights as us." She finished proudly.

"Basic living rights?" Malfoy inquired with a scowl. She brushed aside his negativity and his unnerving stare.

"Yes. Opportunities that witches and wizards have. Access to a good education, ability to get a decent well paying job, health care." She explained. The smile on her face fell when Malfoy laughed loudly.

"You cannot be serious." He rolled his eyes dramatically.

Hermione looked at him with furrowed brows. "I'm completely serious Malfoy."

Malfoy scoffed. "Surely you haven't forgotten what they are classified under? You must be mental."

The table grew silent, nervously waiting for the explosion that was bound to happen. Harry watched the scene with a piece of steak comically hanging out of his mouth. Hermione's face had turned red at this point, hands shaking with anger.

"If you knew anything at ALL, and it's apparent you DON'T, you'd know that werewolves are only in that classification DURING the full moon! They are part human Malfoy! They deserve to have a happy life!" She berated in a raised voice. Her hair was getting slightly frizzier with as her blood pressure raised.

Malfoy shook his head and stood up, knocking the table in the process. "You know nothing Granger. It's the house elves all over again. Sorry Nott. I suddenly forgot I have to be somewhere else." Malfoy stalked out of the ballroom.

Theo looked back at the exit with concern. "Granger. I don't know what got into him tonight. If you'll excuse me." He shot her a sympathetic look and took off after his friend.

"Well. I hear the Harpies are doing marvelous this season. Are you ever going to get back in the game Ginny?" Astoria Nott spoke with poise, attempting to make the situation less awkward. The table was finally to relax and conversation came easy for everyone but Hermione. Her anger has settled but something else had taken a hold of her. There was a shift in the air and it was so subtle. She looked up at Harry and notice his body tense as well. Something wasn't right.

* * *

"SMALL. TALK. What part of small talk do you not understand Drake?!" Theo had stormed into the men's room to find his friend pacing. A lot.

"'She's impossible to be around!" Draco yelled back, running his fingers through his hair.

"You just HAD to attack her work. Which, by the way, is basically my work!" Theo pointed out. Draco slid down the wall and Theo sat next to him. They were quiet, both lost in their thoughts.

"I'm an idiot." Draco finally said.

"Yes you are. But really, what's new?" Theo replied with a sarcastic drawl. A loud bang and screams interrupted their conversation. Draco and Theo exchanged a look before they flew out of the bathroom, wands drawn.

The ball room was in chaos. Aurors and member of the Order were fighting off rouge Death Eaters. Spells were being thrown left and right. The two wizard's were racing to the center of the dance floor where the Golden Trio, and Astoria were. Theo threw Astoria behind him as he deflected a spell headed straight for her. Draco hadn't reached the group yet. He was in a duel with a Death Eater who he thought might be Dolohov. Finally, he stunned the Death Eater and watched as an Auror tied him up.

Draco was standing about 10 feet from Hermione, trying to fight his way closer. Everything seemed to stop and move in slow motion. Greyback locked eyes with Draco. He took a whiff of the air. The color drained from Draco's face. Greyback's gaze turned toward Hermione. He looked back and forth between Hermione and Draco with a smirk and a second later an unidentifiable, dark curse was hurtling towards Hermione. Draco ran in front of her.

"PROTEGO!" He shouted. A shield was conjured but as soon as the dark spell collided with it, the shield crumpled to pieces. Draco turned and wrapped his arms around Hermione protectively. By that point there was no stopping the curse and they were both hit. Draco was losing consciousness, but not before he saw Hermione staring at him, wide eyed. He tried to speak but the world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Decided two post two chapters in one because I have no self-control. This chapter in a bit of a filler, but I've got some Dramione moments in it. Hope you like it! Thanks for the follows and the reviews.**

 **Disclosure: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Hermione groaned as she attempted to open her eyes. She was in a lot of pain. She slowly opened her eyes to find a very obnoxious florescent light blaring down on her.

"Hermione. Can you hear me?" The voice of Ginny Potter had made her shoot out of bed like a bullet.

"Gin! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Hermione was sitting up staring at the red head with concern.

Ginny shushed her and laid a comforting hand on Hermione's arm. Gently, she pushed her back down into a laying position. "I'm fine. I had an emergency portkey. My husband _is_ the Head of Aurors remember? We always have a plan." Her voice was soft and soothing and Hermione was able to let out a breath. She groaned again. Loudly.

Ginny got up and tapped her wand on a box with a speaker. "Hermione Granger is awake and in a lot of pain. We need a healer quickly." She said urgently into the box.

Hermione finally looked down at her arms to find herself hooked up to a muggle IV. "Ginny. What happened?" She asked her friend, trying to remain calm. Ginny Potter had never sugar coated and for that, Hermione was extremely grateful. Ginny told her what she heard from Harry. Death Eaters showed up at the ball. Greyback cursed her and if it hadn't been for Malfoy taking the blunt of the curse, Hermione would be dead. She had been in a magically induced coma so her body and magic had time to heal. The muggle IV was to help keep her hydrated as the potions they had to administer could make her dehydrated quickly. She had been asleep for almost 4 days. Hermione didn't really hear that last part. She was focused on the fact that Malfoy had saved her life. She snapped back into the conversation. A lot of the Death Eaters were captured. A lot of them were new recruits.

"Is Malfoy okay?" Hermione finally asked, not daring to meet her friend's eyes.

Ginny cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yes. He's well. It only took him two days to recover."

Hermione looked up from her hands at Ginny is disbelief. "Two days?! But Gin, we were both hit with the curse. That's impossible." Hermione bit her bottom lip in deep thought. Something wasn't adding up for her.

"Mione. I don't know. Believe me when I say I tried to find out but the healers won't budge. You know the rules. Patient, Healer confidentiality and all that. However, he's still at the hospital." Ginny said.

"He's here?" She raised a brow and looked towards the door as if he would walk in any moment.

"Actually he hasn't left once. I imagine he feels guilty about the row you two had." Ginny's biting words made Hermione frown.

Their conversation was interrupted by a healer walking in to administer her pain potions.

"Miss Granger needs her rest Mrs. Potter. Come back and see her in a little bit." The healer said kindly.

Ginny looked like she wanted to throttle the healer, but quickly gave her a fake smile. "Of course." she turned back to Hermione and gently hugged her. "I'll be back this evening, I promise."

* * *

 **St. Mungo's- Fifth floor- Visitors' Tearoom and Hospital Shop.**

Draco was nursing a steaming cuppa in his hands, trying to calm his nerves and block out the Hospital smells. His best mate set across from him, staring him down. Draco found the cream that was swirling in his cup extremely fascinating.

"You look terrible." Theo finally stated. Draco snorted into his cup. "Well, it's true. And that's really saying something, seeing as I've seen you during you know what." Theo smirked as his words finally caused his friend to look up.

Draco glared back. "I'm not leaving" He said defiantly.

Theo rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No. Of course not." The two Wizard's went back to their awkward silence.

"So..." Draco said expectantly.

Theo rested his elbow on his thigh, and held his chin in his hand. He flashed Draco an unconvincing confused pout. "So...what?"

"Update you idiot! Do you have an update on her!" Draco snapped, his patience obviously hanging on a thread.

Theo chuckled. "I do. Seeing as how I just saw her to drop off her work. She's doing better. No adverse reactions to the potions and they finally have her off the muggle hydration...thing. Her walking is improving, but she has to use a cane for awhile. She absolutely loathes it." He finished speaking and went back to sipping on his tea.

Draco sat back, but didn't relax. He was having his own internal battle. He looked around the Tearoom, seeing families worried faces. He realized he probably wore the same expression and shook his head.

"Well I've got to go back to the office." Theo announced. He stood and saw something fall out of his suitcase. "Bugger!" He exclaimed as he picked up the parchment.

"What is it?" Draco asked in a panicked voice.

"It's Hermione's. It's part of her notes. A very important part." Theo started walking and suddenly turned around, a slow smile creeping on his lips. "Actually. You know what. I really do have to be going. Here!" Theo shoved the parchment into Draco's arms. "You should go take this to her personally." Theo said, before he ran down the hall.

Draco stood in the Tearoom, glaring on the spot where Theo had stood. He took a deep breath before he made his way towards the lifts.

A minute later he heard the lift's voice say, "Fourth Floor, Spell Damage" and he stepped out.

He walked until he reached room 410. Draco hesitated as he reached for the door knob. He paced back and forth in front of the door like a caged animal. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of foot steps and a cane hitting the floor. The door swung open, and Draco was met with Hermione's curious face.

"Are you going to come in at some point or should I just leave you to your pacing. If that's what you intend to keep doing, I should let you know that you'll have a whole team of annoyed Healer's after you. " She finished, looking every bit like the swotty Know-it-all from school.

Draco strode past her, into the hospital room.

She slowly made her way back to her book and parchment covered bed. The quiet was filled with the sounds of the cane hitting the floor.

"Please, sit down." Hermione gestured to the only other seat in the room. Draco accepted the seat without looking at her.

"I have something for you. Theo forgot to give it to you when he was here earlier." Draco smoothed out the parchment that he had held onto a little too tightly. He placed it neatly on the bed and raised his eyes. She was looking him over and it made his palms sweaty.

She absentmindedly took the parchment without glancing at it. "I wanted to say thank you for the other night." She blurted out.

That simple, polite, sentence caught Draco off guard. "Pardon?" He asked dumbly.

"I said I want to say thank you. I imagine I would be much worse off if you hadn't stepped in front of me." She spoke sincerely.

Draco's voice felt thick, but he managed to get out a mumble. He looked out the window to avoid her penetrative gaze. In truth, however awkward this situation might be, he felt completely calm in her presence. It was a thought that frightened him, and one he had spent years concealing.

"Have you recovered alright?" She asked. He could hear the suspicion.

"Yes. I have. Actually, um. I'm feeling tired and the healer's told me to rest. You probably should be as well Granger." He got up and dusted off his robes.

"Oh. right. Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around Malfoy." She gave him a small smile and extended her hand out to him. He looked at her hand and swallowed thickly, before stalking out of the room.

Hermione was almost glad he left in such a hurry. He missed the disappointment wash over her features.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter was a little difficult for me and I'm not even really sure why. Just a quick note on the Wizengamont. Obviously their rules and legislative sessions are going to be different from the Muggle world. I'm no expert on all of this so I'm basically Bullshitting my way through this! Seeing as how this is fiction, I can do this! Winning. Of course, I'm using the little info J.K. provided about the Wizengamont as a basic guide. Thanks for the reviews. Much love to everyone reading!**

 **Disclosure: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Hermione was released from the hospital two days later. She stood naked in front of her bathroom mirror listening to the sounds of Molly Weasley bustling around her kitchen. She had kindly brought over food that would last her a week. Molly spruced up the flat, the smell of an air freshening charm lingered In the air. It did nothing to calm the oncoming wave of emotions that hit Hermione as she stared at her reflection.

Molly heard glass shatter and rushed into the bedroom to find Hermione naked, and shaking on the floor.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as she stepped over broken glass and wrapped Hermione in a towel. Molly conjured her patronus and watched as it ran through the wall. She rocked Hermione until Ginny came bursting into the room, baby Albus in a sling.

"Thanks mum. I've got it from here if you'll take Albie for the afternoon?" She asked her mother quietly.

"Of course dear." Molly gave Hermione one last squeeze before she carried the baby out of the room. Ginny sat next to Hermione and held her hand as she wept.

They sat like that for twenty minutes until Ginny got to work. She helped dress her friend and aided Hermione as she limped towards the bed. She quickly vanished the glass and removed the other mirrors in the room. She turned to find Hermione fast asleep in bed. With one last look, she left the room to floo her husband.

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked as she watched her friend eat a bowl of stew.

Hermione set the bowl down and fidgeted with her blanket. "It's going to sound ridiculous." she stated.

Ginny scoffed. "Mione nothing out of your mouth or brain is ridiculous." She gave Hermione an encouraging smile.

"I can deal with that." She gestured over to the cane that was propped up on her side table. Slowly, she lifted up her shirt to reveal a raised, pink scar along her torso. It laid right under the one from Dolohov. "It's this! I can't. I don't..." Hermione chocked and her eyes filled with tears.

Ginny wiped the tears that were spilling over. "Look at me." She said firmly. Hermione slowly raised her eyes to meet the red head's blue eyes.

"You. Are. Beautiful. These?" Ginny gestured to the scars on her own arms. "They don't define us. Unless of course...we let them. You know Hermione. I don't want you to feel like your feelings aren't valid. But at the same time, I'll be dammed if I sit back and watch as this breaks you. You are the strongest person I know. If anyone gives you shit about your scars? The one's you got SAVING OUR WORLD? Tell them to fuck off." Ginny finished her passionate little speech and Hermione hugged Ginny tightly.

She wiped her tears and laughed at herself. "I'm an utter mess right now aren't I?" Hermione said.

Ginny looked her up and down and nodded her head with a laugh. "Yes. You are. It's okay to be a mess sometimes. I'm going to allow you to wallow for a few more hours, mainly because I haven't been baby free like this in a long time." Ginny said as Hermione laughed.

"I love your honesty. Truly." Hermione smiled at her best friend. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes I know this. Now! You get the ice cream and films. I'm going to pick up the most essential part to our pity party." Ginny said as she walked to the front door.

"The wine?" Hermione called from the kitchen.

"Yep!" Ginny responded as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

 **Courtrooms- Ministry of Magic**

Hermione was grateful for Ginny kicking her out of her funk. She really didn't have time for self loathing. Today was the first session's of the Wizengamont and she was a nervous wreck. Together, Ginny and Hermione picked out a killer outfit to give her a much needed confidence boost. She was seated in the courtroom with all the other witches and wizards, hoping to have their bill's passed into law. The session would last two weeks. Nothing more, nothing less and it was intimidating to say the least. She fiddled with the buttons on her blouse, a new nervous habit she picked up recently.

Currently, Percy Weasley was up, talking passionately about regulating potion scales. Hermione looked over to the Wizengamont members and had to stifle a giggle as they struggled to stay focused and awake. Arthur Weasley who held the Weasley seat was rubbing his eyes discretely. His left eye in particular kept twitching.

"We need to make sure these are up to scale, no pun intended!" Percy exclaimed. "These regulations will ensure our community will always be safe in their potion making endeavors!" Percy finally finished. Kingsely looked releaved.

"Thank you Mr. Weasley, for this...fascinating proposal. Shall we vote on it now? Say Aye if you would like to vote now." Kingsely, Chief Warlock instructed the seat holders.

A loud "Aye!" echoed throughout the courtroom.

"All in favor of the "Potion Scales new safety regulations, say Aye." Kingsely said. Again, all members said Aye. Kingsely struck the gavel down once with a smile on his face. "Motion has been passed! Next in line please."

Percy practically skipped out of the courtroom and Hermione again, covered her laugh.

"I said next in line please! I believe Miss Granger from the "Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures" is next?" Kingsely said loudly. Hermione startled, jumped out of her seat. She quickly made her way down the steps to the front of the court room.

She took a deep breath and spoke. "Minister and esteemed members of The Wizengamont. I am here today with a bill that impacts all members of our community, including a certain magical creature group" Hermione flicked her wand and copies of her bill were levitated to each member.

"The bill is called Lupin's Law. If you haven't guessed already this bill impacts all half-blood, werewolves. I'm proposing that we give the half-blood, werewolves of our community the same basic living rights as Witches and Wizards." Hermione finished her opening speech with as much confidence as she could muster. The courtroom erupted into whispers.

Kingsely struck the gavel down several times to restore order in the room. "Go on Miss Granger. Let's cover the basics of this bill." Kingsely said kindly.

"Of course Minister. For centuries we have treated these members of our community as creatures that should be feared. I realize there has been some werewolves that are dangerous. One, being at large right now. But there are MANY werewolves who are just like us minus one night, once a month. They are half-blood. Meaning they have magic in their blood, like us. Members of the Wizengamont, I'm proposing we allow these half-blood's a chance to excel in our community. The bill, as you will note on page three section four, outlines the details." She waited patiently as each member turned to the appropriate page. "Number one. Jobs. Unless they grew up with money in their family, werewolves are often resorting to muggle jobs instead of contributing to our economy. Lupin's Law allows werewolves to find work in our world and be paid minimum wage. Any field of work, without prejudice. Now, in order to gain said skills to work in our world, we are at my second proposal. Number two, Education. As we all know, magic is difficult and takes years of practice and proper education to master. We are allowing hundreds of witches and wizard half-bloods to be out in the world, with a wand, and no clue how to use it. Accidental magic is bound to happen and IS happening to these half-blood's. If they had the proper education and knowledge, it would make them safer. And because they are working in the muggle world, less of a danger to exposing our world. International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy is something we can all agree is of utmost importance." Hermione stopped and watched as the whispering continued. She had their attention now.

"Number three, free distribution of the Wolfsbane potion. For members who are unsure of what the potion does, I've outlined it in the bill. I'll quickly give a run down about the potion. When administered properly, Wolfsbane allows the half-blood werewolf, when if wolf form, to keep their mind. Remus Lupin, a werewolf who lived among us for years without exposure, described the transformation to me once. The pain is excrutiating, and once in the wolf form, you are there, but you aren't. He described it as seeing red. You blackout and literally have zero control over what your body does and the wolf's instinct. With this potion, while in wolf form, they will essentially be a harmless muggle pet dog. The pain, unfortunately can't be prevented. The potion it self is very expensive to make, which in turn, makes it hard for half-blood's with lycanthropy, to obtain the potion. The last part of this proposal is equally as important. Number four, access to proper health care. Regular check ups with healers will be required. Both pre full-moon and post full-moon most care are included. The potion will be administered every day, a week before the full moon at our office with a healer present. I've also included a mental health check up once a month. As we know, during the war several small children and Hogwarts students were infected with Lycanthropy, against their will and are in desperate need of both mental and physical care. Any student with Lycanthropy attending Hogwarts will have a safe place to go to transform once a month. Anyone not attending Hogwarts with Lycanthropy has a safe place to transform as well." Hermione finished speaking and chewed on her bottom lip.

Kingsely cleared his throat and looked at the other members. "Miss Granger I appreciate you outlining the bill for us today. Unfortunately with something so big as this bill, it's going to take some discussion and time before we can vote. We will schedule you to return this Friday. The members can ask any questions about the bill or share any concerns they have then. You are dismissed Miss Granger. Next!" Kingsely said, sending a small smile her way. Hermione nodded to the members of the Wizegamont and left the courtroom with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm still in serious need of a Beta. PM me if you're interested yeah?**

 **Disclosure: I don't own Harry Potter, but most days I wish I did.**

* * *

Friday came sooner than Hermione hoped. She knew this was about to be the difficult part. There were still members of the Wizengamont who aren't too pleased with her bill. Hermione's stomach dropped as she thought about one member in particular. She hadn't really seen Malfoy on Monday. He was there, but she was focused on her work. She still couldn't figure out why he stayed at the hospital until she was released. He didn't visit her in her room. He just sat in the waiting room. She only knew this because her friend's relayed the information. She was thrown out of her thoughts as something hot burned her thigh.

"Ouch!" Hermione exclaimed. She sighed as she looked at the gloop of oatmeal on her trousers. She ran to her kitchen sink and scrubbed the spot with a rag. She was muttering under her breath as she scrubbed, when Theo floo'd into her flat.

"Bugger you oatmeal..."

"Granger. What're you..?" Nott asked from the kitchen doorway.

"I know my mum had a reason for hating oatmeal..." Hermione muttered angrily as she continued to scrub.

"Earth to Granger!" Theo yelled, finally getting her attention.

She turned around surprised to see Theo there. 'When did I give him my floo address?' She thought to herself. She shook her hair and held up the wet rag in her hand. "I spilled oatmeal on my outfit." She said lamely.

Theo rolled his eyes. "Are you a witch or not Granger?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed. She turned around and casted a quick "Scourgify" on her pants, her clothes now restored.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Theo gave her a small smile. "I thought I should escort you to the ministry today."

Hermione was caught off guard, but smiled in return. "I'll grab my briefcase! Stay right here!" She instructed as she bolted to her bedroom.

* * *

Theo and Hermione had time to kill before they had to be at the Ministry. They decided to walk to the employee entrance through muggle London.

"So... are you nervous?" Theo asked as he flashed her a cheeky grin.

Hermione scoffed. "No Nott. I'm not nervous." Hermione said, her voice lacking confidence.

"It would be perfectly normal you know. You've still got quite a few members to convince."

Hermione sighed heavily and walked ahead of him. Well, as best as she could with a cane.

"Really, it's okay if you're nervous Granger..." Theo continued.

"NOTT! I am not nervous! Drop it!" Hermione yelled in the crowded muggle street. Her hair was practically cackling with magic. Theo held back his laugh and pulled her around the corner, away from the muggle's stares.

"I'm sorry. Truly. You know it's really easy to mess with you. No wonder Draco did it for all those years." Theo said.

Hermione bit her lip and tried to calm herself. "Can we just get to work now?" She pleaded. Hermione didn't wait for Nott as she walked towards the employee entrance. She stared straight ahead as she walked into the muggle loo. Part of her cringed at the thought of going down the toilet. Sure it was effective, but absolutely disgusting. She walked to the lifts and made her way down to the courtrooms once more.

* * *

"Order in the court! Miss Hermione Granger from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is next. She will be answering any questions or concerns, the members of the Wizegamont have about bill number 145. Lupin's Law." Kingsely's voice boomed through the courtroom.

Hermione walked up to the stand, cane in hand, and looked over at the member's of the Sacred Twenty-eight. Harry gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you Minister. I've come prepared to answer any and all questions." Hermione answered professionally.

"Let's see who has the first question. Ah, Miss Parkinson, seat number eight-teen. You have the floor." Kingsely said.

"Thank you Minister Shacklebot. My first two questions have to do with the facilities this bill will provide during the full-moon. Where are the location's of said facilities, and what sort of security measures will be taken at these facilities?" Pansy asked with slight glare in her eyes.

Hermione was able to flash a fake smile in return. She knew most of these seat holders were treading very lightly. Kingsely had tried to restore the sacred twenty-eight after the war. This involved allowing "remorseful" pure-blooded families to take back their family seat. Hermione knew a lot of them were in fact, not remorseful. Half blood's and "Blood- Traitors" were now allowed in the Wizeganmont which was an improvement. It was nice to see a lot of the nasty pure-blood seats empty. She also had to admit to herself that she was pleased to see some of the seats empty, as those families were locked up in Azkaban, or dead.

"Miss Parkinson, I did, in fact write out those concerns in the bill. I realize the bill was quite large and detailed, one is bound to forget such details.I believe it is outlined on page forty-five. Section D? We have remote locations that will be connected to the floo network. The network connection will be shut off before the change, and restored in the morning. The half-blood's affected by Lycanthropy will then be escorted to St. Mungo's for their "Post-Moon care." The network shutting off is one of our security precautions. We will have trained Auror's on site as well as some of our staff from my department. These witches and wizards are perfectly qualified to control any situation that arise." Hermione answered. Pansy didn't conceal her disappointment very well as she sat back down in her seat.

"Who's next? Mister Flint, seat number nine. You may proceed in your questioning." Kingsely announced.

Marcus Flint stood and nodded towards the Minister. "I have a daughter that will be attending Hogwarts in the next five years. I am wondering how this will impact the young members of our community? Will the Lycanthropy infected children be announced to the school? What should the students expect?" Flint asked.

"Thank you Mr. Flint. I am not the Headmistress of Hogwarts. However, I have been in close contact with Mistress McGonagall. We agreed that she would indeed announce the changes that would be made, should this pass. We do not intend to call out any children with Lycanthropy specifically. It should be extremely obvious who has Lycanthropy to the students. Seeing as how they will have to leave campus once every month. I can say that the Hospital Wing Nurse, Madam Pomfrey, is ready to take on these students in their "pre-moon" and "post-moon" care. She has assured me this won't be a burden to her, as she treated hundreds of lives at once during the war. There will be lessons, updated lessons, on werewolves. The textbooks need to be updated, but we are, as of right now, not removing the outdated books from the Library. I feel very strongly that we do not need to censor our past. That students, should be free to seek that information. Head Mistress McGonagall was very clear that bullying the students with Lycanthropy will not be tolerated and the professors will administer fair punishment." Hermione spoke kindly.

Ernie Macmillan was next in line. He stood tall from his seat. Hermione hadn't seen him in years. She had to admit to herself, he had grown up nicely. "Hermi- err. Miss Granger. I think this is a great bill but I have some reservations. I noticed, while we have the budget, it's still going to be tight. You're office in particular is going to face some challenges. Right now there is what? One person in the beast division that deals with werewolves specifically? This department obviously doesn't have it in the budget to hire on more staff. Correct me if I'm wrong Miss Granger, but how are you going to do all of these things with one man?"

Hermione tried really hard not to roll her eyes. "The person who works with werewolves specifically that Mr. Macmillan is referring to, is Theodore Nott. Just in case the members of the Wizengamont weren't sure. I think we should let Mr. Nott speak for himself as this does affect his work. If this passes, I will be right there to help with everything. We also have several interns looking to be hired in our department who have volunteered to help. Employee's of the beast department have agreed to add a little extra work load to their plate, as well." Hermione answered.

All eyes turned towards Theodore Nott's seat. He tried to conceal his smirk. "Yes I can answer that. I feel we have a great team prepared to take this on. No we don't have the biggest budget. I have faith that one day we will be able to hire on more help. I picked the beast division because it's something I'm passionate about. Helping all creatures, even the unpopular one's of our world. No matter what." Theo rebutted.

The room was quiet for a minute, taking in Theo's words. Hermione caught a hand raising in one of the seats. When she saw who is was, her heart skipped.

"Mr. Malfoy, Seat number fifteen. You have the floor." Kingsely's voice boomed.

Malfoy stood, his face hard. Menacing. Hermione thought it was strange seeing so much emotion on his face. He was always very good at concealing his thoughts. "Miss Granger. In your research for this bill, you talked to half-blood's with the...condition. Would you be willing to name off those people for the court?" His voice had dropped several octaves lower, sending a chill down her spine.

"Yes Mr. Malfoy I can. Mister William Weasley and Mrs. Lavender Weasley helped me with my research. They both have been affected by Lycanthropy." She answered.

"You say they've been affected by Lycanthropy?" He asked.

"...Yes. That's what I said." Hermione confirmed slowly. She raised a brow, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

"From what I recall in the papers, Mister Weasley and Mrs. Weasley do not fully transform into a werewolf. They have the "pre-moon" symptoms, but because they were attacked on a night when the moon wasn't full, the don't transform fully. Am I off base here Miss Granger?" Draco sharply responded.

Hermione took a deep breath. Talking to Malfoy always made her blood pressure raise. "No Mister Malfoy. You are correct." She said, her voice shaking slightly.

"This bill impacts werewolves that transform. Why would you take their advice into consideration when this doesn't affect them? Did you actually speak to anyone who fully transform's once a month?" Malfoy interrogated.

The courtroom broke out into whispers. Kingsely slammed the gavel down once. "By rules of the Wizengamont, we will need an answer Miss Granger." Kingsely said apologetically.

Hermione bit her lip nervously. "Unfortunately, the only full werewolf I knew is dead. I named the bill after him. The other one, is a wanted Death Eater. You can understand why I didn't initiate contact with him." Hermione pointed out.

"You couldn't find anyone else?" Malfoy sneered.

"I'm not sure if you are aware of this Mister Malfoy. Documents, this includes the werewolf registry, is classified. So no, I couldn't find anyone else. Not unless I broke several federal laws." Hermione sarcastically replied.

"Come now Granger. It's not like you haven't done that before." Malfoy interjected.

Hermione scoffed loudly. She watched his stare grow predatory. She drew her wand as a reflex. Malfoy narrowed his eyes and did the same. There they were, wands pointed towards each other. The courtroom was no longer whispering. People were gasping and shouting at one another. The ex Gryffindor Wizengamont members appeared to be taking defensive stances against the ex Slytherin members. The sound of camera shutters were mixed into the chaos, but Kingsely's gavel couldn't be heard.

A loud bang echoed through the courtroom, knocking everyone off their feet in the process. Kingsely's voice bouncing off of the walls.

"SILENCE! This is a courtroom! We've heard enough questions! As Chief Warlock I am dismissing this session! We will vote on Monday! I want EVERYONE out of here! NOW!" Kingsely demanded.

The room cleared quickly. In the hallway, Hermione tried to corner Malfoy, but was held back by Harry.

"Not now. Too many reporters." He whispered in her ear. Hermione met eye contact with Malfoy. She saw his eyes flash yellow, before they returned to their normal grey tint. She inhaled sharply. Having seen her reaction, Malfoy turned the other way. She gave Harry a stiff nod and hobbled over to the lifts.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm just going to leave this here. Hope everyone has a good rest of their week! Thanks for the reviews and such!**

 **Disclosure: I don't own Harry Potter!**

* * *

 **12 Grimmuald Place**

Hermione glared down at the Daily Prophet. It wasn't particularly flattering to watch yourself completely lose control. Over...and over...and over again. A large hand obscured the enchanted picture and took the newspaper away. Hermione sighed as Harry sat down on the couch next to her.

"Mione. You don't need to look at that shit." Harry chastised. He threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his chest.

Hermione sighed but snuggled in closer to her best friend. "I know. I just can't believe Malfoy!" She huffed out.

Harry looked at her over his glasses in disbelief. "You can't believe Malfoy? You two are never going to agree on certain things. He's had this stuff drilled into him since birth. Is it really so surprising that he's opposing this law?"

Hermione wanted to disagree but found she couldn't. "You're right. It's just...frustrating. I don't understand him. We are either causing a scene from our arguing or he's been completely out of character, staying at the hospital, making sure I'm okay." She explained.

Harry took a bite of the cookies Ginny made. He made a disgusted face, quickly trying to conceal it and swallow the cookie down. Ginny never inherited Molly's culinary skills. Hermione laughed as she watched him struggle. "I think he was feeling guilty. That's the only thing that makes sense to me." Harry concluded. Their conversation was cut off by a pager beeping. Hermione looked on in amusement as Harry unclipped the pager from his belt and read it.

"Since when does the Auror department use pagers?" She asked, amused.

Harry shot her a sheepish smile. "I um...sort of took your idea of using muggle devices as a back up method for communication between the Aurors."

Hermione laughed loudly. "Oh Harry. It's 2002. People have cell phones now." She said apologetically, patting his back as he looked down at his pager in disappointment. "Hey now. You never fit into the muggle world anyway. This world is your home." She said kindly.

Harry gave her a small smile. "I know Mione. I just have this feeling my mother would be cross with me if I didn't at least _try_ to incorporate muggle life into my own." Harry explained. His pager beeped again. Harry stood as he read it, walking towards the front door. Hermione followed closely behind and watched as he put on his cloak. "I've got to run." His expression serious.

Hermione hugged him tightly. "Please be safe?" She pleaded. He gave her a lopsided smile before running out the door.

* * *

 **Malfoy Cottage**

Harry apparated into a forest, with pinewood tree's that reached the heavens. He would have loved to stop and admire the mystical beauty, but unfortunately, he couldn't. Rookie Dennis Creevey, came jogging up the trail. He reached his boss, panting.

"Malfoy's place is just up the hill boss. We've already got the investigators interviewing him, but I thought you'd want to hear his account as well." Dennis huffed out, still trying to catch his breath.

"Good work Auror. Stay here in the area and run perimeter checks." Ordered Harry. He walked along the trail, tripping slightly over the roots that were coming out of the ground. He pushed the branches aside until he arrived at a quaint little cottage. It looked like it was right out of the muggle fairytales Hermione secretly read to him over the years. He found himself completely surprised by the cottage. He expected Malfoy to live in...well his family's Manor. Or something significantly larger. He stepped inside to find his investigator's talking to an irritated Malfoy. The living room had the curtain's drawn. allowing the natural light to dance along the powder blue, walls. Harry could tell the furniture in this living room was of high quality, but not overly gaudy.

"I'm telling you. I have my wards set very specifically. Only certain people are allowed here!" Draco's frustrated voice drew Harry out of his thoughts. He approached the investigator's patting one of them, Dean Thomas, on the back.

"I'll take it from here. Search the outside of the house please, specifically where the apparition point is." Harry instructed. He waited for his men to clear out before turning to Malfoy. "So, what happened here?" Harry asked. He sat down on the leather couch, pulling out a muggle pen and writing pad Hermione had gifted him.

Malfoy looked at the pen curiously before sitting down as well. He sighed loudly. "I was having my usual cup of tea when I felt the wards shift. Each person who enters my ward's that I've approved of, has a magical signature, so to speak. I can easily recognize who has entered as soon as they've entered. Unless, of course it's an intruder. I can't describe it, but the magic shifts." Malfoy explained.

"That's impressive magic Malfoy." Harry said without sarcasm. He was truly impressed.

"Yes well, some of us actually read at Hogwarts." Malfoy dryly replied. "Anyway, I knew my wards had been broken. I went to retrieve my wand from the bedroom and by the time I got to the front door, they were gone." Malfoy finished. He wore his mask of indifference, but Harry suspected he was shaken up. He was writing his notes when he heard a holler from one of his troops. He ran out the door, Malfoy right on his heels. They both had their wands out as they reached a place that was a little off the trail.

Blood was splattered on some trees. Suspended in the air was a threat, also written in blood. It read, "I know your secret." Malfoy took a deep breath and froze in fear. He knew who's blood that was. He was starting to shake. Harry had taken notice of the sudden change in the blonde man.

One of the investigator's took a sample of the blood to be sent back to the ministry for examination. He vanished it with a pop and ten minutes later the result's came back. The Auror's and Malfoy waited quietly as the young Auror read the parchment. His eyes widen and he looked at Harry, fearful.

"Sir...you might want to look at this." A younger investigator said as he held up the results scribbled on some parchment.

Harry walked closer. "Read it out loud Auror Bernal." Harry instructed.

The auror cleared his throat nervously. "The results show this is menstrual blood. DNA match shows Hermione Gra..." Harry didn't let him finish reading her name as he bolted to the apparition site.

Malfoy stood there, shaking, watching as her blood, dripped onto the forest floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Apparently, I have zero control this week. So um, here. :) Welcome new followers! Just wanted to shout out wbm92 for a sweet review. If you haven't read "Fireproof" by wbm92 then you are missing out! So good.**

 **Disclosure: I don't own anything Harry Potter related. J.K. Rowling does. She tends to drop bombs on us like the history on the Potter family. (Why you do these things Rowling?!)**

 **Just fixing some mistakes. The chapter is the same. I really reaaaaaaaallllly need a Beta. Any takers? *Hint Hint, Wink Wink.**

* * *

Hermione had returned to her flat only to be startled by a panicked Harry. He told her to pack some essentials as quickly as she could. Hermione did as she was told, having not seen this fear in Harry in a long time. She didn't hesitate, she didn't ask questions. Bill and Charlie Weasley stood guard outside her flat, and escorted Hermione to Potter Manor. Harry had left to contact the Order and his family. Ginny and the children would be arriving to Potter Manor as well. Hermione clung to her beaded bag, hushing an angry Crookshanks who was finally set free from her clutches. Harry had found the deed to the Manor buried deep inside the Potter vault. This was their safe house should they find a need for it. There was definitely a need for it today.

Hermine ignored the concerned Order members as they filed into one of the many sitting rooms. They looked at her with sympathy and that's when she guessed that, whatever was going on, had to do with her. Molly kept asking her if she would like to sit and Hermione snapped.

"Molly. For the last time. I prefer to stand!" She yelled. The room grew quiet at her outburst. Molly gave her a tight smile, her eyes shining with tears.

"If you'll excuse me." Molly said as she made her way to the kitchen, her haven.

Harry had entered when he heard Hermione yell. Theodore Nott was in tow, which surprised many in the room.

Hermione sighed, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to be patient. I just would like to know what the fuck is going on." She spoke loudly so everyone could hear, but her attention was directed to her messy, black haired friend.

Harry nodded gravely. "Right. Perhaps you should sit..."

"HARRY POTTER. If you were about to suggest I sit, so help me!" She barked. Theo looked positively pleased with the interaction between the two.

Harry held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry. After I left you, there was an incident at Malfoy's place. He had an intruder and they left a message." Harry explained vaguely.

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip in thought. "So this has to do with me...how exactly?" She questioned.

"Are you on your time of the month Granger?" Theo asked bluntly.

Hermione's mouth gaped opened. Harry slapped a palm to his forehead.

"Looking for an early funeral Nott?" Hermione threatened as she reached for her wand from it's holster.

Ron and Harry stood inbetween the two, holding their hands up.

"Hermione! Calm down." Ron exclaimed.

She tucked her wand away and folded her arms over her chest.

"On Malfoy's property, we found a message. A threat really. It was written. Well, that is to say, it was written in your menstrual blood." Harry managed to muble awkwardly.

That's when Hermione swayed on her feet. Someone had conjured a chair just in time to catch her fall.

"So, Granger. I take it the Bloody Barron has visited you?" Theo asked.

Hermione could only nod numbly. She chewed on her bottom lip until it was raw. "Who...Do they know who? How did they even get to it?" Hermione asked to herself not realizing she voiced her questions out loud.

"It took the team some time to finish up some tests. One foot print was found only, it wasn't really human. Fenrir Greyback did this." Harry watched her face as it turned green. She stood up quickly, stumbling towards the loo. Retching sounds could be heard from the sitting room. Ginny ran after her friend.

"What do we do now?" Neville asked.

"I've got my best Aurors on the case. They are at her flat looking for signs of intrusion recently. Hermione's going to need guarding at all time. I'm going to go have a chat with Malfoy."

* * *

 **Auror Department- Interrogation Room #1**

Harry entered the room to find Malfoy pacing.

"Sit down Malfoy." He said calmly. Harry looked over Draco's appearance. He thought Malfoy looked like absolute shit. His normally, perfectly pressed suit was wrinkled. His button down untucked from his trousers. He looked frightened and weary. His blonde hair stood up in different directions, much like Harry's did everyday.

Malfoy refused to sit. Instead, he crossed the room and stood directly in front of Harry. "Is she okay?" Malfoy asked.

Harry raised a brow at the question. "I can't disclose that to you." He said calmly. Malfoy just tugged on his hair in response, obviously not pleased with the answer. Harry observed him closely. "How about you take a seat Malfoy." He said a little more forcefully this time.

Malfoy walked back around the table and sat, sneering at Harry.

Harry slowly made his way over to the table and carefully opened his notes from the crime scene. He tried and failed miserably at hiding his smile as he watched Malfoy grow more impatient. Maybe, he'd be willing to talk.

Harry cleared his throat. "So. Any idea what Greyback was referring to when he wrote "I know your secret" in Hermione's blood?" Harry asked bluntly. He watched with interest as the color drained from Malfoy's cheeks.

"It was Greyback?" Malfoy steeled his expression.

"Don't play dumb with me Malfoy. You already knew it was Greyback." Harry said, his face hard.

Malfoy's face was carefully blank. They sat in silence, not breaking eye contact.

"Here's what I want from you Malfoy. I want to know what this secret is. I want to know your theories on how Greyback got ahold of her blood, because I'm sure you already have some. And I want to know why you stayed at the hospital until she got out. You're going to tell me all of this by choice or force. It's your decision, I don't really care, but either way it's happening." Harry's voice was completely calm. He kicked his feet up on the table,crossed his arms over his chest, and looked expectantly at Malfoy.

Malfoy was obviously weighing his options when he sighed heavily. "I'll tell you everything, but I'm going to need Theodore Nott present." Malfoy insisted.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm probably going to piss some people off with this one. I'll put a little note at the end explaining my reasoning. DONT HURT ME.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns anything Potter related and I don't.**

* * *

 **Auror Department- Interrogation Room #1**

"What happens to Draco now?" Theo asked. They had been in the room talking, for hours. It was now almost three in the morning.

Harry rubbed a hand over his tired face. He glanced over at Malfoy, who was looking anywhere but his way. "Malfoy." Harry called, getting the blonde's attention. Malfoy finally made eye contact with him. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Especially not her, but you do know that she'll figure it all out eventually." Harry pointed out.

Malfoy nodded gravely.

"As for what happens now, I have a plan. You probably are going to hate it but seeing as how I'm keeping this information between us, you'll of course go along with it. You can't stay at your quaint little cottage Malfoy. You had some great wards placed there, but it's not safe. I'm moving you into a secure location. I want you to go home with my guards by your side. Pack up as much as you can and I will meet you there to escort you to the safe house." Harry instructed.

Malfoy's fist was curling into a ball under the table. Theo, not so subtly, kicked his leg to make him stop. "And my situation? You've got a plan for that too?" Malfoy asked nervously. Harry nodded in return. "Fine." He agreed. "But I'm bringing my pet!" Malfoy added at the last second.

Harry looked at Malfoy in amusement. "See you soon Malfoy." Harry shook his head and laughed as he walked out of the room. Draco was still glaring at the door when the guards came in.

"Ready when you are Mister Malfoy." A tall guard chimed in with far too much enthusiasm for three in the morning.

"Can I kill him?" Malfoy asked Theo loudly. They watched as the guards smile faltered.

Theo laughed loudly, releasing a breath he had been holding in. "Probably not the best day to do that mate." Theo patted Draco on the back and walked out of the room, whistling.

* * *

 **Potter Manor-Entry Way, 4:30 AM Sunday.**

Harry and Draco apparated into the Manor with a loud _pop._ A big, fat, orange cat appeared around the corner and made a bee-line for Draco. The cat squeezed itself in-between Draco's legs, leaving orange fur on his trousers.

Draco looked at the cat, took a breath, and whipped his head up to face Harry. " _She's here?! Forgot to mention that tidbit Potter?!"_ Malfoy whispered hoarsely.

Harry feigned ignorance as he whispered back. _"Must have slipped my mind Malfoy. Come on, let's go to bed."_

Draco sighed, picked up the cat, and followed Harry to a guest room. The room was nice, he had to admit, but it was a Slytherin's worst nightmare. Gryffindor gold and red was absolutely everywhere. He supposed Potter did this on purpose.

"Night Malfoy!" Harry sniggered as he closed the door.

Draco dropped Crookshanks on the bed. He opened his backpack that had an undetectable extension charm placed on it. He reached his hand in and finally felt the handle of a dog kennel. He placed it on the bed and flicked the door open. Crookshanks peered into the kennel carefully. "Come on boy!" Malfoy called, coaxing the puppy out. He pointed a finger at the mutt and the cat. "Behave. I'm going to bed." Malfoy turned to face the bed and scowled. He flicked his wand at the duvet and changed it to a deep Slytherin green. He decided he would continue his re-decorating the next day.

* * *

 **8:00 AM**

Draco woke to the sounds of her voice. Something he enjoyed and dreaded at the same time.

"He's here?" He heard her ask.

"Yes. He is. I talked to him. He's trustworthy, but also in danger. I'm sorry Hermione, but this was the only option." Potter said. 'Liar' Draco thought to himself.

He heard Potter say goodbye to Granger and leave through the floo. The cat and the puppy were both scratching at the door, demanding to be let out. Draco groaned, knowing seeing her was going to be completely unavoidable. He grabbed a long sleeve and threw it over his head, and opened the door. He followed her light humming that was coming from the kitchen. She was bent over a counter, pulling a frying pan out of the cabinet. He looked away and cleared his throat, making his presence known.

Hermione was startled, smacking her head on the top cabinet when she jumped. "Fuck!" She yelped in pain, cradling her head.

"Language Granger. Aren't there mini-Potter's running around this place?" He commented.

Hermione turned around and blushed. "So you're really here Malfoy. What a joy." She sarcastically replied. She turned back around and turned the stove on. She put the pan on top of the flame and plopped some butter into it. He watched her discreetly as he prepared his morning tea.

Hermione was doing her best to focus on the task at hand. That was, until she felt a little nipping on her bare feet. She looked down and spotted the light brown puppy. "Oh!" She exclaimed. She bent down to pet the puppy who was wagging his tail happily.

"Sorry, he um...he's especially playful in the morning." Draco's gruff voice made her look up in astonishment.

She stopped petting the puppy and pointed to dog. "This is _your_ dog?" She asked in disbelief.

Draco scratched the back of his head, and nodded his head in confirmation. The puppy pawed her arm, unhappy that she stopped petting. She felt the corners of her mouth lift.

"Well. What's his name?" She looked at the puppy's neck, expecting to find a tag.

"He doesn't have one. Well, he did. The muggle shelter named him Harold. I couldn't keep that name for obvious reasons." He said in disgust.

"Did you say muggle..." Hermione shook her head, feeling extremely confused. "That won't do. He needs a name." She said determined.

Malfoy sipped on his tea nervously. Hermione lifted the puppy's face and inspected him. The puppy preened under the attention and she fought to roll her eyes. 'Just like his owner' She thought to herself. "Hmm. Such lovely colouring you have. Perhaps...Odie!" She yelled in excitement.

Malfoy cocked an eyebrow at the strange name. "Odie?" He tested the name on his lips.

Hermione's cheeks turned rosy. "Well, it's from a Muggle comic. American Muggle Comic to be exact. In the papers. It was a television show as well. Actually, I heard they were making it into a film..." Hermione rambled. Draco looked at her like she was speaking a different language. "Anyway! the comic is called Garfield. Garfield is this big, fat, lazy, orange cat, much like Crooks, and he loves lasagna. Actually, Garfield loves all food but cat food. Garfield's owner also has a dog named Odie who is sweet and looks similar to this puppy..."

"Granger." Draco interrupted.

"Yes?" She asked surprised.

"Odie is a fine name." He said. He quickly exited the kitchen.

* * *

Hermione smiled at Odie as he trailed after Malfoy. She returned to her cooking, a grin still on her face. Ginny came in later to ask what happened. The wide grin was lost when Ginny pointed out that Hermione, was in fact, supposed to be angry at Malfoy.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm evil. I KNOW. Those questions Harry asked WILL be answered. I promise. In time. It's just too soon and I'm thoroughly enjoying the mystery. I'm loving the theories ya'll have in the reviews and PM's. Keep guessing! Can't promise I'm going to answer those theories in pm's, but they genuinely make me smile. I hope I made up for any disappointment with a little Dramione interaction, and a puppy! I giggled out loud when I thought, "Draco needs a pet. OMG he needs a puppy!" Okay, I'm done for now. CIAO**

 **remember when my phone auto corrected the dog's name to Otos instead of Odie? This is why we don't edit chapters on iPhones. Let's just pretend that didn't happen yeah?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Someone pointed out in a pm that James Sirius Potter wasn't born until 2004. This isn't a cannon story. like, at all. Keep that in mind! I think Harry and Ginny in this fic wanted to start on their family as soon as possible. I'm a young mother and I don't think there is anything wrong with Ginny being one as well. She's a stay at home/ working at home mother. Albus is a baby and James is probably around 3. Anyway. Here's the new chapter! I've been writing chapters all weekend and am just a couple ahead at the moment. OH! My bestie Keren is going to be my new Beta (hopefully). She has to catch up on the story first. I'm feeling reckless this Sunday morning, so I'm posting this anyway.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns the rights to Harry Potter. I don't make money off of writing this!**

* * *

Kingsely floo'd into the Manor by early afternoon. Hermione was in the library reading enjoying the warm sun coming in through the windows. Malfoy was, well, she didn't know where he was and she decided she didn't care. She saw the Minister enter, looking a guilty expression written all over his face. She narrowed her eyes. Bookmarking her page carefully, she sat it back down on the love seat and stood with her hands on her hip.

"Spit it out Kings." She offered.

"Right, well tomorrow's vote has been rescheduled." Kingsely admitted.

"WHAT! Why?" Hermione burst out.

"Mione. I'm in Order, remember? I know what happened at Malfoy's. I need to ramp up security at the Ministry before we vote on anything. Rita Skeeter advertised to the public that you're going to be at the Ministry tomorrow. We can't have that, I'm sorry. It's just a few days until we figure out Order member's and Auror's schedules."

Hermione felt like screaming. She was tired of having to deal with Death Eaters and people coming after her. Hermione remembered seeing Lavender being mauled by Greyback during the battle. Last night the scene played itself on repeat in her dreams. Only it wasn't Lavender's body. She was watching herself be ripped to shreds. Hermione took some calming, deep breaths.

"Thank you for informing me Minister. Does Malfoy know?" She said professionally.

Kingsely gave her a warm smile. "What happened to Kings? He does, indeed know Miss Granger." He cheekily replied.

Hermione let out a small laugh. Kingsely came over a hugged her tightly. "You're going to be okay.  
He whispered reassuringly. She peered at him over her lashes.

"Thanks Kings." She finally spoke.

"That a girl." He lifted her chin and pecked her cheek before walking out of the room.

Hermione felt her cheeks grow hot and fanned herself. "Alright, settle down!" She reprimanded herself out loud.

* * *

Monday morning came too quickly for Hermione's taste. She yawned and walked towards the kitchen. She made her coffee sleepily and dragged her feet to the dining hall. She pulled the chair back with a loud scrape and sat on it with a _thump_. Hermione placed an arm on the table and nestled her head in the crook.

"Not a morning person Granger?" Malfoy's voice rang out through the room. Hermione jumped in surprise and looked at him through bleary eyes. He was sitting directly across from her the whole time and she hadn't noticed.

"No. I'm not." She grumpily laid her head back down.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to have your elbows on the table?" Malfoy facetiously asked.

"Didn't anyone ever tell YOU to it's rude to speak to someone before they've had coffee?" Hermione angrily answered as she glared daggers at him.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You really haven't changed much Granger. Chugging coffee in the Great Hall, looking like you've never brushed your hair in your life, and barking at people, all before nine A.M. Being a swot sounds tiring." Malfoy insulted.

Hermione stared at him, thinking of a retort.

"Where's your cane Granger?" Malfoy asked, pulling her from her comeback.

Hermione blinked and looked down at her bare legs. She let out a small gasp. She only just remembered that she was wearing the shortest pair of pajama shorts she owned. They were maroon, with gold script on the arse reading "Lion Pride". She made them with Ginny as a joke in sixth year. She tried to subtly pull them down to make them longer. Malfoy didn't miss her sad attempts at modesty and smirked. "I've gained enough strength back that I decided I don't need it." She explained, silently cursing herself.

"Glad you're feeling better." His voice was sincere and his eyes held no sign of sarcasm. She noticed his eyes were their normal grey, only a tiny flicker of yellow could be seen in the right lighting.

"Um...right. Well, I better, um. I have to..."Hermione awkwardly stood from her seat, walking backwards so Malfoy wouldn't see her backside. He looked on with amusement. She misjudged the doorway and backed herself into the wall. Malfoy snorted into his tea and she blushed in embarrassment. She slid across the wall until she reached the opened doorway and slid out of the room. While she succeeded in hiding her arse from him, she had completely forgot that she didn't wear a bra under her tanktop. Malfoy shook the image of her chest out of his head.

He shoved a muffin in his mouth and made his way back to his room, holing himself up for the rest of the day.

* * *

Ginny and the children lived on the opposite side of the Manor. The nurseries were gorgeous. Baby Albus' room looked like a forest. The wallpaper was charmed by Hermione. The tree's rustled with a light breeze. Woodland creatures popped in and out of the tree's and bushes. Her favorite creatures being the Stag and Doe. They were often right above Albus' crib, keeping watch over the baby. A blue, sunny sky appeared on the ceiling during the day, and a starry sky appeared at night. It was beautiful magic. She thought the children should each have something special in their room at the safe house. She figured James was missing his room, so she made it an exact replica. The three year old was pleased. All four walls had a replica of a Quidditch field. The tiny Quidditch players zoomed along the walls. James would often be found running along the players side, laughing loudly. His bed was decked out in red, his favorite colour, and a tiny stuffed snowy owl sat up against the gold pillow.

Hermione poked her head into James' room to find him playing with his toy Centaurs and knights that belonged to Harry as a child.

"Good morning Jamie." She said to the toddler.

"Mornin Mimi. Wanna play?" He gestured to the toys scattered on the floor.

"I need to talk to your mummy first. But as soon as I'm done, I promise we will play! Okay?" Hermione said ruffling his black hair.

James giggled and nodded. She bent down and kissed the top of his head before she walked down the hallway.

"I've just sent in the draft. Let me know what you think when you get it okay? Yes, I checked for nargles. Mmhmm. I'll remember. Okay, bye Luna." Hermione could hear Ginny's voice as she talked on the phone. Ginny had improved at using muggle technology over the years, but that wasn't surprising. Ginny was sharp as hell. Hermione entered the office to find Albus asleep in his muggle baby swing. Hermione bought that for Ginny's baby shower and wrote in the card how her mother swore by it. Ginny realized she could have some time to herself with Albus in it. Molly made a rude comment about how her daughter didn't need breaks. Ginny threatened to not allow Molly into the room when she gave birth. That shut Molly up quickly.

"Hullo Mione." Ginny said as she vanished her notes away into a filing cabinet.

"Hi Gin. How goes the writing?" Hermione asked. Ginny had turned down a job at the Prophet and started working for Luna at the Quibbler. Ginny had told the editor of the Prophet to go fuck himself when he tried to bribe her away from Luna. She vowed to never work for the Daily Prophet until they got rid of the corrupt writers. She was happy and successful. She wrote about Quidditch. Hardly anyone read the Prophet anymore, and if they did it was just sort of out of habit. The Weasley men and Harry created a drinking game where every time the Quibbler fact checked the Prophet, they took a shot of firewhiskey. They were all usually smashed fifteen minutes into the game.

"Busy as always, but fantastic. Now, did you come in here to talk about anything specifically?" Ginny turned her knowing eyes on Hermione.

Hermione shrugged. "I think I just want to hang out with you and the kiddos. I guess I'm feeling a little lonely lately." She confided.

Ginny looked at her friend with concerned eyes. "Of course Mione. You can be with us anytime." Ginny kindly replied.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Surprise! Two chapters today now that I've caught up with my writing a little bit. Thanks for the follows and reviews. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and HAPPY FREAKING OCTOBER. my son turns 4 years old on the 21st and it's blowing my mind just thinking about it. Who checked out the Supermoon eclipse?!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns all rights and property of Harry Potter. This is purely for funsies.**

* * *

Hermione was reading late into Wednesday night when a thought stopped her in her tracks. She hadn't seen Malfoy since Monday morning. The Manor was massive in her opinion, but she was sure Malfoy Manor was larger. Still, he could be anywhere in the Manor snooping around in things he shouldn't. Hermione felt a knot in her stomach. That knot that often lead her into danger head on. She was a Gryffindor, and no matter how daunting the thoughts, she would follow her gut. Hermione grabbed her wand and stepped out into the dark hallways. By this time it was midnight and the Potter family would be fast asleep, minus Harry who was still at work. Hermione lit her wand and walked slowly down the hall to the West wing, where Hermione and Draco stayed. His door was closed. She pressed her ear to the door, but didn't hear anything. His door wasn't even locked as she turned the handle. She peered inside the room to find it completely empty. Her stomach dropped.

"Where could he be?" She whispered out loud. Hermione fiddled with the button's on her nightie nervously. She walked back down the hall into the kitchen. It was empty. She walked to the parlor to find it also empty. Hermione let out an annoyed huff. Determinedly she marched down to where Harry's private offices are, wand at the ready.

"Little ferret is probably snooping through Harry's files." She said to herself. His office was clear on the other side of the Manor. Out of breath Hermione leaned against the wall, trying to remain quiet. A portrait of Charlus Potter stared back at her.

"What are you doing outside my grandson's office at this time Miss Granger?" He asked.

Hermione shushed him. "Have you seen Malfoy around here?" She whispered.

Charlus shook his head no. "I've only just arrived at this portrait a second before you appeared Miss Granger." Hermione nodded sweetly at the old man in the portrait.

"Sorry for the ruckus Charlus." She apologized.

He waved his hand. "Not a bother dear. Whatever you're up to, I didn't see a thing!" He made a show of zipping his lips before returning to one of his other portraits.

Hermione breathed in to calm her nerves, the knot in her stomach almost becoming painful. Harry had strong wards on his office, but they weren't impossible to take down. Hermione automatically had access to the office seeing as how they were basically siblings. She burst opened the door, wand raised, a stunning spell on her lips. It was all for nothing, as the room was completely empty. Hermione sighed loudly and sat down on a leather chair. She looked around the room, and stopped on the open window. She stood up and walked slowly to the window. The sheer curtains Ginny insisted on, hung out the window and blew with the wind. She hesitantly reached out to pull the curtain's back inside, when she heard a noise.

The Manor was surrounded by ancient blood wards. Essentially sound proof, unless your ears were trained to listen for such things. Unless you went through war hiding out from snatchers in a tent, always on guard. She had heard what she thought was a faint yell. Later, Hermione would explain how she felt a pull, drawing her outside the wards. She felt bewitched. Hermione didn't even remember coming outside, but there she was. The wind whipped her hair in every direction, but her eyes were trained on the little woods near the Potter property. She walked and walked and walked. The forest floor chilled the bottom of her bare feet. A twig popped nearby, stopping her in her tracks. Her head spun over to face where she thought the noise came from. There, in the bushes, a pair of yellow eyes stared back at her. Hermione gasped, her wand raised for attack. She backed away slowly, the heavy breathing coming from the animal made her flinch. She finally turned, and ran through the forest. She knew she wasn't too far from the wards. Soon, the sound of the animal running could be heard. Hermione knew the animal was gaining speed and she didn't dare look back. She pushed herself faster, the sting of her feet numbed by adrenaline. The animal was snarling close behind as she threw herself into where she thought the wards were. She fell onto the ground with a loud thud and scrambled to stand up. She turned and saw what appeared to be a large beast make it's way back into the woods.

A loud pop echoed through the night, startling Hermione. It was pinky, a house elf who's family served the Potter's for generations. The elf took in Hermione's appearance and squeaked. "Missy Mione! What are you doing out here!"

Hermione looked down at her blood stained feet and torn nightie. Her whole body was shaking from shock. "Pinky." Hermione rasped out, her voice was slightly hoarse. She took in a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Pinky. Will you go get Harry from work? I don't. I-I don't think I can walk any farther and I don't want to wake Ginny." Hermione sat on a large rock while the elf went to find her best friend. A second later they returned. Harry's eyes went wide at the sight of her. He rushed quickly and kneeled on the ground to check her over.

"Mione! What the hell were you doing out here!" He lifted up her right foot and she gasped in pain.

"I was...I heard." She tried to get out. Her body started to shake more violently and Harry looked up at her seriously.

"Let's get you inside. We can heal you in your bedroom." Harry said as he carried her back into the Manor. They reached her room and he gently set her down. Pinky quickly got to work healing the cuts on her feet.

"Harry." Hermione grasped his hand tightly as Pinky poured dittany on the cuts. "Harry there is something out there." She said in a breathy voice.

Harry quickly looked down from her gaze. "I'm glad you're okay. Take this Mione." Hermione wanted to tell him more but he helped her gulp down a vial of dreamless sleep instead. She had built up a tolerance for the stuff after the war, but had stopped because it was easy to become addicted to. Because she had gone so long without the potion, it took seconds before she passed out.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Posting this one today as well so you aren't left on a cliffhanger forever. I hope this doesn't feel too rushed but there is still a lot left to this story. No idea what it will be chapter wise, but we shall see!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns all rights and property to Harry Potter. This is written purely for fun.**

* * *

Hermione slept most of the afternoon. Kingsely came by and woke her up to give her an update on the Wizengamont vote.

"We are prepared to vote on Friday, that's tomorrow I guess. We have all the security lined up and you and Malfoy will each be escorted to the Ministry." Kingsely explained.

She didn't even try to conceal her grin. "Thank you so much Kings. I'm sorry I...reacted the way I did. Thank you for getting this organized so quickly." She tucked a curl behind her ear in embarrassment. He squeezed her arm gently and gave her a charming smile.

"Try not to get yourself killed by animals in the wild until then yeah?" He gave her one last smile as he left the room.

Hermione was just starting to drift off when another knock sounded. "Forget something Kings?" She said as the door opened. Malfoy was standing awkwardly in the door way. She took in his appearance. He looked tired, but other than that he looked fine.

"Can I come in Granger?" He asked. She nodded, finding herself surprised that he'd be here. Draco entered the room and shut the door behind him. He sat in the chair Harry had occupied.

"Where were you last night? I looked all over for you when I realized I hadn't seen you in a couple days." Hermione asked suddenly.

"Missing me Granger?" Malfoy smirked.

She rolled her eyes, adjusting Harry's old Quidditch jersey the house elf slipped on her. She pulled the red blanket up a little more. "Answer the question Malfoy." She studied his face. He had slipped it back into his usual mask. Concealing anything from everyone. She found his expressionless face completely unnerving, though she'd never admit that out loud. He turned his head slightly and she saw a shimmer on his right cheek. 'That's a glamour charm. Goodness, he's so vain he can't even have one little pimple show.' She thought to herself.

"I was on the roof." He answered simply. He flicked off an invisible piece of lint from his suit, ignoring her suspicious stare.

"You were on the roof." She said slowly, in disbelief.

"Yes well, first I was at the Quidditch Pitch. Then I...barrowed one of Potty's broom's. Then I flew to the roof." He finished with an bored expression.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, shaking her out of her mind.

"Oh. I feel fine, thank you. Pinky healed up my feet nicely." She answered shyly. A blush was creeping up on her neck and she couldn't understand why.

"Good." Was all he said. He walked to the door and turned to give her the smallest of smiles. When he left Hermione thought she might have been hallucinating. She fell back asleep, dreaming of the beast in the woods.

* * *

 **Ministry- Courtroom**

Hermione was buzzing, which was her own doing as she chugged four cups of coffee that morning. She smiled and every person in the Atrium she came across. She smiled up at every Wizengamont, and only a few scowled back. That didn't shake her. She felt really good about this. Today, her bill, would be law! Ginny kicked her foot to get her attention.

"You look a little crazed. Will you tune down the grin a bit?" She joked. Hermione just laughed right along and unbuttoned her sweater, draping it over the back of her chair. They sat in the courtroom, which was completely packed. Granted, a lot of the people in the room were security. The Quibbler was the only press allowed into the room and because Ginny was covering the story, she had her own personal fleet of security. She hated it but knew it would appease her husband.

Hermione wasn't speaking today. She had essentially finished her job and now she had to wait. She bit her lip trying to conceal the grin and wore more for a neutral expression.

"Order in court. We will begin voting in just a moment. I will explain the process but then Miss Granger and Ginevera Potter from the Quibbler must leave the room during the voting process. We will not be voting orally on this Bill as it is the largest one we are dealing with this session. The outcome impacts large members of our community and because of that, I've come up with another voting method. One by one members will approach the front and sign their name under a column. Column "Aye" is for passing the bill into law. Column "Nay" is for rejecting the bill. Member's you have exactly thirty minutes to cast your vote. As tradition, I the Chief Warlock, will cast my vote first. Now is the time that press and Miss Granger leave the room. We will call you back in once the votes have been added up, members accounted for and a decision has been made." Kingsely explained.

Hermione and Ginny left the room and sat out in the hall, with of course, security. Hermione's leg was shaking in anticipation and Ginny was holding her hand in a death grip. Ginny tried to talk to her about mundane things to keep her mind preoccupied. It worked for awhile until they ran out of people to gossip about. Hermione resorted to pacing as the thirty minute mark came and passed.

Another thirty-five minutes came and went before Neville Longbottom poked his head out the door. "We're ready for you two." He said, his face careful not to give anything away.

* * *

Hermione entered in confidently in front of her best friend. Ginny's quill was already writing swiftly across the parchment floating in front of her, a camera was also floating ready to capture the days event's.

"Miss Granger, please approach the front." Kingsely instructed. Hermione walked up and faced Kingsely. She had a moment of wishing her parent's were here for this moment. She looked over to her wizard fatherly figure, Arthur. He smiled brightly at her and gave her a not so subtle thumbs up.

"After much deliberation the members of the Wizengamont have come to a decision. Bill number 145, Lupin's Law, has been passed." Kingsely slammed his gavel down and Hermione stood in shock. She felt baffled and relieved at the same time. Harry and Neville ran down the steps and hugged her tightly. Tears were shining in her eyes as she accepted the congratulations from Wizengamont members. She looked up to where some member's still sat. A lot of the member's she was sure voted "nay" were missing. They must have left right as Kingsely made the announcement. One empty seat caught her attention. The name "Malfoy" was engrained on the back, and it gleamed with the courtroom lights. She continued looking back at the seat as she was lead out of the room by security.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Happy Friday. I'm spending mine writing and folding laundry. Motherhood is glamorous ya'll. This chapter is shorter than the other's as far as word count. Don't eat me. As always reviews are welcomed! I'm on twitter and vine. Feel free to see what I'm up to on there, but I am more active on vine. Vine: Sierra Emilie Twitter: SierraEmilie**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns all rights and property to the Harry Potter universe. I write this purely for funsies.**

* * *

 **After the Wizengamont.**

A celebratory party was in full swing. Ginny had surprised Hermione with a gorgeous gold dress. She dolled Hermione up in lightening speed. Important members of the Ministry were there as well as friend's and family. Mr. Abbott, her boss was completely sloshed and praised her through slurred words. Hannah floo'd her mother to come pick up Mr. Abbott, who was well on his way to making a fool of himself.

Hermione hid her smile behind her flute of champagne. She watched Neville wave Hannah over and kissed her sweetly on the mouth, whispering something in her ear. It made Hermione uncomfortable to watch something so private. She slipped away from the crowd and made her way down to the Atrium. She kicked off her heels and carried them in one hand while the other continued to carry the glass of champagne. She took the lifts up to her department. When she exited the lift she walked down the familiar hallway when she suddenly stopped. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Someone was definitely following her. She continued her walk down to her office. Calmly she took her wand out of her thigh holster and unlocked the door. As she entered her office and closed the door, a hand appeared on the other side of the handle, preventing the door from shutting. Hermione turned to face her attacker and was surprised to see Malfoy.

She took a slow breath, but didn't lower her wand all the way. "Can I help you?" She asked, her voice still breathy. He was still partially hidden in the darkened hallway so it was difficult to see him. He just stood there looking at her with a frightening gaze. Her body was sending all the red flags to run. Yet, she couldn't. She was rooted on the spot. She furrowed her brows as he remained unresponsive. She reached her hand out and gently laid in over his hand on the knob. This appeared to be the wrong this to do. Draco grasped her hand tightly, entered the office, and walked her backwards into the nearest wall. He took the hand he was holding and pinned it over her head. His other hand grasped her other free hand, knocking her wand out of her hold in the process. He pinned that arm above her head as well and moved closer.

"Wha-What are you doing?" Hermione looked up into Malfoy's face, realizing this was the first time she had been in such close proximity to him. His eyes were flickering back and forth between grey and yellow so quickly. She had never seen anything like it in her life.

The only sound out of Malfoy was a low growl as he dipped his head down to the curve of her neck. What he did next made her whole body break out in goosebumps. Somehow he managed to press his body closer to her and sniffed her,loudly. He let out a feral groan. A loud bang echoed in the office from the entry way, but Hermione was unable to see past Malfoy's tall body to see who it was. Suddenly, he was ripped off of her. Hermione stumbled against the wall.

She watched as Theo wrestled his friend on the ground. Theo was trying to pry Malfoy's wand out of his hand. Hermione quickly jumped into action. She picked up her wand from the ground and nonverbally restrained Malfoy with ropes. Theo plucked the wand out of a glaring Malfoy's grasp and tossed it aside. He sat on top of his friend and fished a vial out of his pocket. He waved it tauntingly in Malfoy's face, who was now trying to fight his way out of the ropes. Theo managed to force Malfoy's mouth open and poured the potion down. Slowly, Malfoy stopped moving, his breathing becoming even.

Theo smirked down at his friend and laughed. "Calming Draught mate." He said victoriously.

Hermione rubbed at her sore, red, wrists. Her movement caused Theo to finally notice her presence. He was still catching his breath as he looked her up and down.

"Looking lovely as ever Granger." He remarked as he pocketed the empty vial.

"Are you going to tell me what that whole thing was?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Theo looked down at Malfoy and back up at Hermione. He shook his head no.

That made her raise a brow. "No?" She leaned into her hip a little bit more and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Can't." He said simply.

"He can't because he made an Unbreakable Vow." Malfoy said from the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: We are getting closer to some answers and honestly most of ya'll will probably have some big one's by the end of this chapter. So here you go! Happy Monday. It's finally feeling like fall here.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns all rights to Harry Potter. I just write this for fun.**

* * *

"An Unbreakable Vow? To whom?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"Want to release these mate?" Malfoy asked Theo, ignoring Hermione completely.

Theo waved his wand, the ropes vanishing and helped his friend stand up. Malfoy walked to where his wand lay and pocketed it. Hermione saw him headed for the exit. She ran in front of the door and blocked Malfoy from leaving.

"Oh no you don't. I want some answers!" Hermione demanded.

Malfoy's face turned menacing. He stepped closer, towering over her again. "You want some answers Granger? Listen the fuck up. Theo made an Unbreakable Vow to ME. I have a condition that I don't want the public to know about. It's something I have zero fucking control over! FORGIVE ME, MISS "Brightest Witch of Our Age", for not telling you all MY personal business! FORGIVE ME, oh great Gryffindor, for wanting to have a tiny bit of control over who knows my business! GROW THE FUCK UP GRANGER. I'm not a bloody subject you can study! I'm not some muggle experiment or something you and your friends can investigate! Leave me the FUCK alone!" He yelled straight into her face. His eyes flickered between colors much like they had before. When he finished he pulled down the cuffs on his suit and ran a hand through his shiny blonde hair.

Tears sprung to Hermione's eyes. Her hands started to shake and the guilt settled in her stomach. "Malfoy I'm so sor-" She started to apologize but Malfoy had already pushed his way past her and left the office.

Theo gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It'll be okay." He said to her gently. He gave her arm a squeeze and followed after his friend

* * *

Hermione had no time the next day to mull over Malfoy's words and properly apologize. Their office was flooded with the young and old. They all had Lycanthropy and all were ready to start their registration process under the new law. Hermione was currently standing on top of a table in the hallway. She looked down the hall to see Theo, also standing on top of the receptionists desk. She gave him a wide smile when they made eye contact.

"Emily Adkins." She called out into the crowded hallway. A red headed girl approached Hermione with her family. Hermione smiled kindly and led them into her office, closing the door carefully to block out the noise.

"Please take a seat." She gestured to the three empty chairs. Hermione sat behind her desk and opened the girl's file. Her father was the owner of a muggle coffee shop and her mother used to be a Healer's assistant. When there was news of Voldemort's return in 1996, Mrs. Adkins decided to step away from the wizarding world and help out in the shop. Emily was seven years old at that time. At nine, before the Battle of Hogwarts, A small group of Death Eater's attacked their muggle village. They realized Emily's mother was a witch and made her parents watch as Greyback attacked her. He would have killed her too, had members of the Order not shown up to help. She was being homeschooled up until this point. She'd be attending Hogwarts the following Monday with other Lycanthropy student's. The Head Mistress was ready to catch up any students who were behind on their magical education.

"Emily, after our meeting I'm going to send you to a secure Floo. It should take you straight to St. Mungo's where you will have an emotional and physical evaluation. I'm here today to answer any questions, finish up your registration and get you on the Wolfsbane list. The potion is going to be delivered daily to Hogwarts, a week before the full moon. You will have to drink it and I'm sorry to say it doesn't taste like Cauldron Cakes. But you will have your mind during the full moon and that's going to be life changing for you. We have people completely redoing the Shrieking Shack as we speak. It's going to be enlarged, cozy, clean, and most importantly a safe place for you to transform. Madam Pomfrey, the head of the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, will be taking care of you before and after the full moon. If any issue should arise you may reach me here. For emergencies a personal number has been provided." Hermione handed the parents and Emily a charmed business card and information packets. Emily shot up from her chair, walked around the desk and hugged Hermione tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered in Hermione's ear. Hermione pulled the girl back and smiled at her. She looked like she could be a Weasley.

"Mrs. and Mr. Adkins, I know a family. They are very kind and have taken me in during difficult times. I think you'd get on well with them. It's important for you to have some close friends during this transition." she said to the nervous parents.

Mrs. Adkins looked at her husband, having a silent conversation. She turned back to Hermione and smiled. "If you could set something up, we'd love to meet them."

* * *

Hermione floo'd into the Manor later that night and thought she might collapse on the entry way floor. She was completely exhausted and they still had so many people to register and get settled. Odie came bounding into the room, yapping happily. Crookshanks wore a bored expression as he sauntered towards her slowly.

"Hello boys." She greeted the animals. The puppy practically leapt into her arms. She held the puppy tightly when a thought stopped her in her tracks. Odie had been missing that night she was looking for Malfoy. She knew the puppy wasn't on the roof with Malfoy that night and she definitely didn't see him in Malfoy's room. Crookshanks had been asleep in the library with her, so where had the puppy been. She started walking towards Malfoy's room. His door was open which meant he wasn't back from work yet. She walked in without much thought and set Odie down onto the bed. She giggled as the puppy ran back and forth on the green comforter. She looked around just seeing how much of the room he had changed. It was now covered in silver and green. Hermione shook her head and scoffed. She saw a grand desk in the corner of the room that hadn't been there before. She couldn't help but gawk at the desk. She stepped right up to it. It was a dark cherry color and perfectly polished. The two front legs of the desk had a large "M" engraved into the wood. She traced the letter with her finger, admiring the craftsmanship. It must have been an ancient desk, protected by charms so it wouldn't chip or fade. She didn't realize a smile had crept it's way on her face. She looked at the contents on the top of the desk. Paperwork from the family business sat neatly on top. He had several potion vials and ingredients lined along the back of the desk. Hangover potions, and she noticed quite a few pain potions. One vial made her do a double take. This was was filled with a potion ingredient that Hermione would recognize anywhere. The bottle itself was labeled incorrectly.

She lifted up the vial for closer inspection and walked with it towards the window. Moon light was flooding in so she could get a proper look at the plant inside. She squinted her eyes, thinking it would show her something different. Hermione sucked in a breath. This was not the Alihosty plant like the label read. This was, "Aconite!" She breathed out. Hermione quickly placed the vial back in it's place and rushed to the Manor's library.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This chapter gave me a little bit of hell. I've re-written it a few times so here ya go. As always, leave me some reviews! You can find me on vine if you have an account, at Sierra Emilie. I'm not totally sure if I'll be able to post again this week. I'm super busy starting a new job, dealing with family that's coming, a photo shoot, oh and my sons birthday party. Send me all the coffee!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related and I own nada.**

* * *

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing on other uses for Aconite because, there was only one use for it. Hermione had pulled every book she could possibly find on potion ingredients and potion making. It was one of those moments where she was so desperate, she almost owled Slughorn. Almost. Her picture was still in his living room, which made her extremely uncomfortable. Contacting him would turn into an afternoon tea with people she didn't know, which would turn into lunch with people she didn't know, and eventually, giant parties with people she didn't know. No, contacting him was out of the question. She had been up all night and got one hour of sleep before she made her way into work.

She was thankfully, able to concentrate for most of the morning. By the afternoon, the anxiety of not having a logical explanation was starting to eat away at her. She went into speculation, something she tried very hard not to do until she had all the facts. She thought, perhaps one of his friend's was a werewolf and he was brewing Wolfsbane for them. She recalled him being skilled at potion making until Harry cheated his way to the top. She thought, maybe, he was an avid potion ingredients collector. Like muggles with stamps, maybe Malfoy got a kick out of hoarding vials of rare potion ingredients. But none of that could be correct. Malfoy had mentioned a condition he had. A condition he couldn't control. Still, with the Wolfsbane, he should have some sort of control. Then there was the whole Greyback thing. Obviously the secret would be that Draco was a Werewolf, but Hermione was somehow involved. She saw no reason to be involved besides the law she passed. Nothing was adding up and it was driving her crazy.

* * *

 **2:30 PM- Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.**

Work continued to be a pleasant distraction from her thoughts. The office was overwhelmed by the positive response to the law by the people it affected.. It was a constant stream of people coming in and out of her office. Her co-workers were busy too, thankful for the change of pace. Mr. Abbott ran around the hallway shaking people's hands, offering up tea and biscuits while they waited. Since Lupin's Law passed, he had been wearing his bright, colorful robes, that would put Dumbledore's to shame. ' _This_ was exhilarating' Hermione found herself thinking several times a day.

A client named Frances had just left her office. Frances was middle-aged. She had two children and was all alone. Her husband was a muggle and was tragically murdered during the war. She had a run in with a werewolf that she didn't know the name of. Her children had been living with her sister since she had been infected. She wept tears of joy when she read the bill had been passed, because this meant she felt safe enough to have her children back. Overnight babysitting arrangements had been made for the full moon. The children of parents/guardians with Lycanthropy would always have a safe place to be once a month. For Frances, this was like Christmas.

Hermione closed Frances' file, when she heard someone pounding on her office door. "Come in." She called out as she sat down behind her desk. She thought it might be a co-worker, so she went on with her writing. The greeting was caught somewhere in the back of her throat as she finally looked up and took in the angry face of Draco Malfoy.

"Want to tell me what the fuck you were doing in my room at the Manor Granger?" He snarled.

Internally she sighed, not totally in the mood to deal with him. The other part of her was giddy to see him so she could observe his behavior. She calmly set her work aside and clasped her hands on top of her desk. "I was putting Odie into your room seeing as how he's your responsibility." She answered smartly.

Malfoy deflated slightly. He looked away, giving her a chance to inspect him. He wore a grey suit today that matched his eyes. Well, when they weren't doing odd things like changing color. Hermione made a mental note to research conditions that affect the eyes. She saw the shimmer again over his chiseled jaw. A clear sign that Malfoy was still using glamour charms. She grabbed hold of his attention when she swept her hair back. He seemed to be struggling to swallow.

"Malfoy, how did you know I was in your room? My understanding is that you didn't return for hours." She asked with a hint of suspicion.

He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. She leaned over her desk to get a better look, which gave _him_ a better view of her cleavage. He was holding a brown bobby-pin that matched her hair color.

"This fell out of your bird's nest." He said through a strained voice. Hermione sat back down and tapped her nails on her desk as she continued to hold his stare.

"Hmm." Was all she said before returning back to her work. She lifted her eyes and watched his muscular back ripple under his suit as he exited the office. She fought back a smirk, when she realized he had kept the bobby-pin instead of returning it.

* * *

Malfoy didn't return to her office. In fact, he seemed to be avoiding her for the remainder of the month. He was hardly at the Manor. Odie had spent his days with Malfoy at his office. The two would return late, and by that time, Hermione was asleep. He had warded his room against intrusion. Which made her all the more suspicious, but she restrained her curiosity from breeching his privacy again. That didn't stop her from researching every possibility. She had even gone as far to request use of Hogwart's library the following week.

Hermione sighed, attempting to refocus as she packed up the rest of her overnight bag. Tonight was the full moon. It was also the first night that witches and wizards with Lycanthropy would be spending the transformation in the newly built facility. The facility was massive. Nestled into the Forest of Dean, "The Den" could house hundreds of people, including staff. Cozy recovery bedrooms were provided for each person. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were served in the communal dining room. Some of her clients were homeless and The Den became their permanent residence until they got on their feet. Because everyone was taking Wolfsbane, they were able to safely interact with one another in their wolf form should they choose. They had a large space of forest reserved that came with the property boundaries. They were able to roam freely the night of the full moon instead of being locked in cages. The Den was unplottable, a suggestion Harry insisted on because of Greyback.

She walked through the main lobby at noon, smiling at Vivi, their new receptionist. Vivi was fresh out of Hogwarts, ready to join adulthood. She smiled back at Hermione as she checked people in, giving them room assignments.

Hermione set her things down in the staff rooms. Eventually, she wouldn't need to stay the night during the full moons. She wanted to ensure a routine was established until she stopped attending. Her door opened to reveal Theo, covering his eyes with one his hands.

"Are you naked? Can I peak?" He said in a chipper voice.

She rolled her eyes and pulled his hand away from his face. "Not naked. Sorry to break it to you." She said.

He smiled widely. "You ready for the big night Granger?"

"I am. Should we start chugging coffee now or..." She said as she slipped into more comfortable shoes.

Theo made a display of bowing and holding his hand out to her. "Definitely now I think. Shall I escort you to the Dining hall?"

She laughed at his antics, allowing him to guide her through the building. She made a mental note to introduce him to George.

* * *

"Good luck! We will be here in the morning and get you all to St. Mungos for recovery!" Hermione announced. She watched as the men and women went separate ways into the forest so they could have some privacy during transformations. She sighed heavily as she watched the Aurors close the door.

"Sit down Granger. Everything will be fine." Theo said from his chair.

She nodded her head and sat in the lounger next to him. Her knees bounced up and down as she took some deep breaths. "Right. I guess, now we just wait."

 **3:00 am- THE DEN**

Hermione and Theo dozed off around two. They were awoken by Aurors bursting into the hall. They both immediately jumped to their feet.

"What's happened?" Hermione urgently asked.

"There's a wolf outside the boundaries. As in, not one of our people."

"How do we know it's not one of ours?" Hermione inquired.

"We did a head count Miss Granger. Everyone is here." A rookie Auror replied.

"How can you be sure it wasn't another animal? What did it look like?" Theo asked.

"Large, Greyish, white fur." Auror Creevy responded.

Theo's eyebrows raised in shock. He quickly schooled his features, but Hermione observed the whole display.

"We didn't get a great look at it, but it's not a normal wolf." Another Auror said.

Theo nodded his head, still deep in thought.

"Are the security enchantments holding?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. Everything seems to be in place." Auror Creevy said.

"Right. Well that's good. Send some Aurors near there as extra reinforcement. The charms should hold. Someone inform Harry...I mean Auror Potter. He will want to know." Hermione instructed. The Aurors quickly left and Hermione started to pace.

"Well it's not Greyback. He doesn't have white fur." Hermione said out loud to herself.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Theo quietly said from his chair.

She glanced at Theo to see him staring out the window. His fists and jaw were clenched shut. She continued to pace.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I HAVE A BETA! Welcome Frogster! Thanks for putting up with my grammatical errors thus far. I'm not as far ahead on my writing as I'd like to be. I'm going to spend this next week catching up as much as possible. My son will be four on Wednesday. It's me extremely emotional. I apologize if those emotions bleed into my story a tad. As always, you can follow me on Vine if you have an account! My username is Sierra Emilie. If you do follow me, please shoot me a VM. I'd love to chat fanfic and get to know ya'll.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. This fanfiction is purely for fun.**

 **(P.S. Some of ya'll are going to be so pleased with your guess work after reading this. All I'm saying is, don't get to comfortable. MUAHAHA)**

* * *

 **6:45 AM- Forest of Dean**

"We found him in the forest, boss. He managed to get a few words out before he passed out. He said he was dragged there by an animal."

Harry nodded curtly as he took in the unconscious man before him. Malfoy was wearing one of the Auror's robes to cover up his nudity. He had gashes and cuts all along his body. He looked like he had been dragged, tossed, chewed up and spit out. In short, Malfoy looked like shit, which was becoming a trend as of late.

"Right. Good work Auror Creevey. Let's get him into The Den. We've got nurses that can patch him up. When he's well enough, I'll be the one to interview him. Understood? No one else can talk to him," Harry ordered. He watched as the Aurors carried Malfoy inside. Praying to Merlin for some patience, he chugged down his coffee and made his way into the building. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

 **9:30 AM- The Den, Hospital Wing**

Malfoy woke up to the smell of eggs, bacon and toast. He opened his eyes to find himself in a bed. One sniff of the air told him he was in a hospital. A second sniff made him panic. He was surrounded by them. Privacy screens had been drawn up, around him. He gave a slight sigh of relief, seeing as how he wasn't supposed to be here. Groggy voices filled his ears and he wished that he was able to tune it all out. He pulled the pillow over his head when he heard a familiar soft voice. The sound of that particular voice confirmed things for him. He pulled the pillow further against his face, fighting back the urge to scream.

The privacy screen opened and the pillow was ripped from his grasp. He looked into the face of Harry Potter. Harry cast a silencing charm that Draco didn't know.

"Oh goodie. You're up," Harry's sarcastic voice rang out, causing Malfoy's ears to twitch. Malfoy finally noticed the tray in Harry's hands and his stomach growled loudly. Harry passed him the tray and Malfoy nodded his thanks awkwardly.

Harry sat down and gave him a chance to eat. It took about five minutes for Malfoy to scarf the food down. He chugged the glass of orange juice and cringed when he tasted the pain potion that was mixed in.

"Well? Are you going to tell me how you ended up on the outskirts of a private, secure Ministry location?" Harry asked expectantly.

Malfoy bit the inside of his cheek and thought about the night before. "Don't remember much to be honest. One of those wild nights, if you know what I mean." He said bitterly. Malfoy watched as sympathy painted across his old enemy's features. "No. Wherever your thoughts are going, just stop," Malfoy warned.

Harry threw up his hands in frustration. "You aren't really in a place to negotiate, Malfoy. You need to get this under control! From what I've read, telling her is going to open up the doors for control!" He explained.

Malfoy scoffed. "Whatever you've read on this is absolute Thestral shit. It's rare. It's complicated, and I hate it. I'm not doing this. I'm not asking her to do this!" He said stubbornly. He looked up at the ceiling, hoping to reign in his anger.

Harry leaned forward in his seat, and spoke in his serious Auror voice. "You were dealt a shitty hand, Malfoy. For that I am truly sorry. Believe me when I say, I know all about having zero control over your life. It's just that there are other factors involved here. Other people, mainly. It's not fair to leave her in the dark. We did not testify on your behalf to have you thrown in Azkaban or killed. You want to protect her? How can you protect her from Greyback if you keep avoiding her? She's a big girl and has held her own for years! Look, I just sent her away. She should be at the Manor by now, hopefully catching up on some sleep. I'm giving you until the end of the day or I'm telling her. I suggest you get a shower in and wear some clean clothes before you see her. You tell her what's going on and we are even, mate. Because now I have to go do some damage control regarding the incident in the forest this morning," Harry finished, patting him on the shoulder as he walked out of the private screen. Malfoy winced from the contact-and guilt.

* * *

 **Potter Manor- Library**

It didn't take long to find her. In truth, he knew exactly where she was as soon as he walked out of the Floo. Her smell was everywhere. Parchment, ink and that new coconut shampoo she had recently started to use. A wave of nausea hit him and he swayed on his feet. Odie came bounding into the entryway, nipping at his heels. Odie could probably sense the anxiety rolling off his back. A Muggle from the shelter had told him how dogs were able to warn their owners about strokes, seizures, and other medical conditions before they happened. He thought it was fascinating magic. He picked up the puppy, holding him close as he walked down the hall and opened the French doors.

She hadn't noticed him yet, she was so wrapped up in whatever book she was reading. He took a minute to observe her. Light seemed to follow her, no matter where she went. Inside, outside, even under bloody florescent lights. Light would flitter down, as if it came directly from heaven. It framed her face, and every time he witnessed this phenomenon, he noticed a new shade of brown in her curls. He despised it.

Odie let out a happy bark, making their presence known. She jumped in surprise. She was always so easy to startle.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" She said in a breathy voice. He noticed she was clutching the book to her chest with a guilty expression. She was hiding the title from his view. He just stood there, staring like an idiot. She quirked a brow. "Did you need something?" She asked politely.

"Yes." Was all he managed to spit out. She tucked a curl behind her ear and patted the cushion next to her on the lounge-an invitation that wasn't exactly genuine, but more out of polite manners. He turned away from her long, delicate hands and sat as far away as possible.

"I need to discuss something with you," he said seriously. He watched as Hermione's eyes widened slightly. She set the book down on the side table, title still facing away from him. When she looked back into his face, his eyes were drawn to her lips. She was gnawing away at that bottom lip again. Malfoy thought he might hurl himself out of the open windows.

"Okay," she said kindly. She gave him a small, reassuring smile.

He took a couple of deep breaths. "It started sixth year. You know what I was assigned to do that year so we don't need to relive all of that. Anyway, the Dark Lord assigned someone in Slytherin to watch me that year. Pansy was willing because you didn't just say no to the Dark Lord. He wanted to make sure I was working towards my task. Turns out she had noticed something that she thought should be brought to the Dark Lord's attention. I had been trained in Occlumency the previous year by Snape. Probably would have died if I hadn't been. Fast forward to that night when you three were brought to the Manor," he said delicately. He watched as she swallowed hard, blinking away the memories that were resurfacing. She nodded her head timidly for him to continue.

"I, um, I wanted to do something to make it stop. You have to understand that. I guess I didn't hold my Occlumency walls very well. Greyback was there hiding in the shadows. He was hoping to get to you. He eventually broke through my Occlumency walls and after you all escaped…He…He…" Malfoy shook his head and she held up her hand to her mouth in horror. Malfoy took out his wand and pointed it at himself. "Finite," he whispered. Slowly, scars appeared. A large, long silver scar ran across his cheek. He looked away, not wanting to see her look at him in disgust. His heart was pounding loudly.

He didn't hear her approach. The way she laid a comforting hand on top of his made him flinch violently. "What are you doing?" He yelled. She cradled her hand like it had been stung. Concern filled her big brown eyes. Hermione pulled up a chair so she was sitting right in front of him.

His eyes flickered back and forth between grey and yellow in rapid speed. "Malfoy." She said gently. He ignored her.

"Draco," she said louder. His first name rolled of her tongue with ease, causing him to shudder. "Why are you telling me this? I'm assuming Theo knows all of this. He could have registered you and I would have never known," she said.

"You would have found out eventually," he said, defeated. "That was me last night outside the facility," he continued quietly.

"The potion? Didn't you take Wolfsbane?" She asked.

"It doesn't work." Malfoy watched her face scrunch up in confusion.

"That's ridiculous. The only time the potion doesn't work is when an extra ingredient has been added. Like sugar, or something else to improve the taste," she recited.

"No, Granger. That's not the only time. If I enrage the wolf, he becomes stronger than the potion. He wins."

"How long has this been happening?" She questioned calmly.

"Five years," he said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Draco, that's the whole time you've been a werewolf," she pointed out, noticing that his eyes were turning more yellow with every passing minute.

He looked at her with a predatory stare. He gave her a wide, wolfish grin and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She gasped at the movement. He could hear her heart rate quickening. "Ten points to Gryffindor," he teased, his voice sounding three octaves lower. She shivered slightly, and that's when he kissed her. Her lips were soft. Malfoy groaned loudly into her mouth and she gave a little moan in return. The moan seemed to wake him out of his stupor because he pulled away quickly.

"I'm sorry," he repeated over and over again. He watched as she traced her now bruised lips with her fingers. She stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"I don't have control." He explained lamely.

"That doesn't make sense, Malfoy. You should be able to control the wolf." Hermione shook her head, still dazed from the kiss.

"Yeah, well this is what happens when I keep the wolf from his mate." Malfoy sat down heavily in his chair and looked up at her. Hermione's eyebrows shot up and she looked at him, flabbergasted. She slowly pointed to herself, unable to ask the question out loud.

Malfoy nodded his head yes.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Life has been insane. I started a new job last week and basically didn't sleep more than a few hours. Weeeeeee! Finished this baby off today and my lovely Beta was quick with the editing. Thanks Frogster! I lol'd last week when I posted the chapter because I woke up to so many reviews. A lot of you still have so many questions and guess what? So does Hermione. Thanks for the reviews and the love. I appreciate it! Enjoy this chapter. I'm typing up 18 tonight!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related and I own nothing. I write this purely for fun.**

* * *

 **Potter Manor - Library**

A clock on the wall ticked. Normally, the clock that had belonged to Harry's great-grandfather wasn't a loud clock. However, in the silence that followed Malfoy's admission, the ticking rang out loudly, filling the room.

TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK.

It was so loud that Hermione could hardly think, and in that moment she needed to think. She rubbed her temple with one hand and sent a silencing charm towards the clock with the other. She sighed in relief. The silence continued painfully.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. Malfoy was avoiding eye contact and wringing his hands together.

"How long have you known about this?" She blurted out in a desperate attempt to stop the silence. She was surprised by how calm she sounded.

"Five years," he whispered hoarsely.

She exhaled loudly, letting out a small laugh of disbelief. "I have so many questions."

"I wouldn't expect anything different, Granger." His usual mask slipped and a small, genuine smile spread across his face.

Hermione looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He spoke and looked at her with familiarity. As if he knew her, as if they hadn't been enemies for the better part of their youth. She bit the inside of her cheek nervously. "The wolf is fighting the Wolfsbane, but has the potion ever worked?" She asked.

Malfoy shook his head no. Hermione had seen how awful the transforming process was. It made her eyes water thinking about how awful it had been for Malfoy. "I'm so sorry Malfoy. If I had known sooner, maybe…"

"Maybe what, exactly? I told you before Granger. This was my choice. I didn't want anyone involved." His voice trembled as his anger rose again.

Hermione crossed her arms and jutted out her chin. "What about now, Malfoy?" Her eyes were boring into his.

"I was forced to tell you. If it were up to me I wouldn't have," he admitted. His hands were shaking now.

She laughed bitterly and threw her hands up. "Well here we are, Malfoy. I know what's going on. Mind you, I already had some theories about your behavior," she said. She watched his eyes widen at that revelation. "What? Did you really think I hadn't notice how strange you were acting? I would have figured it out eventually!"She huffed.

"Nosy bloody Gryffindors," he muttered under his breath. His hands were now shaking violently. Hermione's eyebrows knitted together as she observed him slowly losing control.

She used some of that Gryffindor bravery and stood up. He watched, unable to take his eyes off her as she walked towards him. She sat down in the chair next to him. Hermione saw Malfoy close his eyes and instinctively inhale her scent. His handsome features settled slightly. She let her hand barely graze his arm. The touch made him recoil and his fists clenched. She quickly pulled her hand away, cradling it like she had been burned.

"Am I really that repulsive to you, Malfoy?" She asked quietly, unable to hide her vulnerability to being rejected. Malfoy looked at her in surprise.

"That's not it, Granger," he spoke gently. "You deserve so much more than this whole situation."

Hermione let out a hearty laugh that startled him. "I'm sorry. Are you somehow channeling Remus Lupin?"

Malfoy looked at her in confusion. She caught her breath and smiled fondly at the memories resurfacing. "Remus was notorious for the whole 'You deserve better than a werewolf' thing when he first started dating his wife. It didn't work on her and it's not going to work on me, Draco. I'm not going to sit by and watch you purposely hurt yourself," she retorted.

She didn't give him a chance to argue. "I think I should spend the full moon with you," she blurted out.

"Are you daft? No! That's not going to work. I won't have control over the wolf if you're right there," he explained. Malfoy ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. Hermione wondered if it felt as silky as it looked.

"Guide me through this, Malfoy. You can still have control. What's going to make you comfortable?" She pressed.

Malfoy looked at her pleading brown eyes and swallowed thickly. "You can't be at the Den on the full moon," he demanded.

She nodded her head rapidly. "Okay. Theo can cover my shifts. Could you maybe tell me why?" She asked calmly.

Malfoy seemed to be struggling. As his cheeks colored, she realized he was feeling embarrassed. "Too many wolves. It's why I tried to get through the wards last night. You were surrounded by wolves and I suppose my wolf doesn't like competition," he managed to get out as the blush on his cheeks deepened.

"No more Den during the full moon. Anything else?" She inquired.

"I just need to know where you are on the full moon, but it has to be somewhere I can't get to. As long as you're close by with some strong wards around you, it should be okay," he listed off.

She nodded her head again in understanding. "Would it help if I spent more time with you?" She asked gently, aware that he was growing more restless in his seat.

"I think it might. I don't, um, I don't know how long I can keep the wolf sated on just hanging out," he finally admitted.

Hermione took a deep breathe, catching what was implied. Now she was blushing. Hermione was only able to nod. Malfoy shot her an apologetic grimace. "I still have questions, but we can worry about all that later," she whispered. Hermione scooted the chair closer nervously. He was stock still as he watched her reach for the book she was reading earlier. He let out a laugh as he read the title.

"Looks like you would have found out a lot sooner than I anticipated," Draco said as he gestured to her book.

Hermione bit her lip to hide her smile. She ignored him and opened up a dusty copy of _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_.

Malfoy watched her read in a trance. He continued to watch her, amazed at how she could tune out the world around her. Malfoy leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The sound of her heart beating and her breathing lulled him to sleep.

* * *

 **Potter Manor - Library**

Ginny stared into the room with her mouth hanging open like a fish. She rubbed her eyes, thinking maybe she was hallucinating.

Hermione's head rested on the shoulder of Draco Malfoy. A book rested on Hermione's chest and Ginny watched the book move up and down with Hermione's breathing. They were both in a deep sleep.

Harry came up behind his wife and smiled at the sight before him. He gently closed her mouth and led her from the room, extinguishing the lights with his wand as they went.

"What—" Ginny blurted out as Harry quickly shushed her.

"Mione can explain later," he replied simply.

"But—" Ginny objected, pointing to the now-closed French doors.

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and silenced her with a kiss. She sighed into his mouth and he pulled away with a cheeky grin. "Come along dear. I'll make you a cuppa."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Re-wrote this chapter three times. THREE freaking times. Let me know what you think yeah? Shout out to my beta Frogster for being fantastic. I injured my knee last week and it's slowly healing. Continuing to work probably isn't speeding up the process. To cheer myself up, I've started listening to Christmas music. YOU CAN'T STOP ME. Thanks for the continued support, reviews, and favorites. Ya'll rock.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns the rights to everything Potter related. This fic is purely for fun!**

* * *

Manor Library

The light flittered into the room. Deep gold splashed across the library walls, exposing dust specks. The portraits in the paintings yawned and stretched leisurely. Some went to other paintings. Lily and James Potter, however, snuck in from their painting above the entryway fireplace. Well, they tried to sneak, but James ended up tripping over the grand chair in the painting.

"Shhhh!" Lily chastised her husband loudly.

"Sorry love. Wait, is that?! Sirius is going to flip when he hears!" James exclaimed.

Lily smacked him over the head hard and shushed him again. Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him behind the chair so they could watch the couple.

The noise caused Hermione to stir. She mumbled something as she snuggled in closer to the warmth. Half awake, she brought her hand to rest on a chest. She took a minute to feel and appreciate just how muscular it was. The muscles tensed under her hand, and that's when her eyes snapped open. She pushed herself off of Malfoy's shoulder to find him staring at her with wide eyes. She pushed her hair out of her face, color painted across her cheeks.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily.

"Almost noon," he answered, still staring at her.

Her brows shot up. Hermione was always an early riser and preferred productive mornings. She could sleep when she was dead. "How long have you been awake?" She asked curiously. Hermione's mother always talked about how much she loved waking next to her father. Jean Granger thought mornings to be a time for vulnerability and intimacy. She'd say the same thing anytime Hermione woke up grumpy. 'Don't waste your mornings dear. I fell in love with your father one morning.' She took in his disheveled state. She wondered how he still managed to look so…handsome when he wasn't put together. His hair was falling in his eyes. Not even thinking about what she was doing, she reached up and pushed it away from his face. Malfoy gingerly grabbed her hand, as if he might break her. His thumb slid across her fingers and her breath hitched.

He pulled his hand away suddenly, and her hand fell into her lap. Malfoy cleared his throat. "About three hours," he answered honestly.

She let out an uncomfortable laugh and asked, "Why didn't you wake me?"

He gave her a small shrug and attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his dress shirt. "You don't sleep enough. You look refreshed, minus the wild hair," he teased.

She jumped up off of the chair and walked to the small mirror by the Herbology section. The dark circles weren't as visible and she had a little more color to her fair skin. However, her hair was twice its normal size. She pulled out her wand from her pocket and with a small flick her hair had settled into loose curls. Hermione turned around and leaned against the desk.

"Better?" She asked sincerely.

Malfoy's nose twitched as her scent washed over him, and his eyes flashed amber. He nodded mutely, holding onto the arm rests tightly.

"Right. Well, I imagine you must be starved. I'll cook something and then maybe we could talk more?" She suggested, trying to ignore his behavior.

Hermione didn't wait for him to answer. She walked into the kitchen and got busy making breakfast.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Malfoy came in, pale skin still glistening and hair wet from his shower. She tried very hard not to ogle him.

"I wasn't sure how raw you wanted the bacon so I cooked it somewhere in the middle," she said, avoiding eye contact as she handed him the plate.

Malfoy smirked as he heard her heart rate increase. He grabbed the plate of bacon, eggs, and toast, letting his fingers brush up against hers.

She pulled away and busied herself with her own plate. Malfoy's moan from the table startled her. His eyes were closed as he savored the bite.

She laughed and he gave one in return.

"Taste alright?" She asked with a smile.

He finished chewing with his mouth closed, and took his time swallowing before speaking. Hermione wasn't surprised by his manners. She was always secretly impressed by the pure-bloods at Hogwarts. Their manners were always impeccable and she chalked it up to their upbringing. Hermione's parents had instilled good manners into her as well, so it was a nice change from eating with Ronald and Harry.

"You have no idea, Granger," he answered with a crooked smile that made her heart skip.

She willed herself to focus on her food, but she could feel him watching her closely. She felt like she was getting whiplash from his changing emotions. One second he was blatantly flirting with her and the next he seemed repulsed.

"So, you wanted to talk some more," his voice broke through her thoughts.

She took a sip of her coffee slowly. "I just would like to know a little more about this whole mate thing. I've read a lot about werewolves and I don't remember seeing anything about mates," she answered, tracing the rim of her coffee mug with a finger.

"There's a few written accounts, but they are a bit…gruesome. The accounts are anonymous, but all the mates were women. Basically the wolves sealed their mate bonds without consent," Malfoy explained gently.

Hermione shuddered and swallowed thickly. She thought about those poor women.

"I would never do that to you Hermione. I would never do anything without your consent," He added.

She gave him a reassuring smile and waited for him to continue.

"They suggest that it's the only way to seal the bond because being without your mate isn't worth it. It makes the full moons unbearable. The wolf is never satisfied and slowly takes over the human side. Eventually, life without your mate leads to death. It's also very rare for a werewolf to actually have a mate. I had no idea what was wrong with me for the longest time. I thought, perhaps, my body was just adjusting to the changes until it had gone on for years and nothing was improving. The pre-moon symptoms were worse and the wolf is harder to control. When you have a mate, you can never be in any other relationship. The wolf would probably rather kill itself than be with someone else—or hurt the person the human side is in a relationship with. When you're in the presence of your mate, it's calming. But it's never enough for the wolf. Of course, no werewolf has tried to experiment with a platonic mate relationship. And no mate of a werewolf has written about the experience," Malfoy recited.

"Greyback knew I was your mate?" She asked. Hermione felt the familiar itch to learn, research, study everything on the subject.

Malfoy nodded, his face turning hard. "Yes. At the charity ball, he was most likely there to stir up some trouble. But I imagine it took him a millisecond to sniff it out. You aren't marked yet, but even an unmarked mate can be spotted. My protecting you kind of gave it away as well. Greyback was unhappy he never got to properly dominate me. Now he's determined to get to you. To mark you, harm you, kill you to teach me a lesson. To make me submit and join him," Malfoy spoke through gritted teeth. His eyes were bright amber.

"He's the one who broke into my apartment. The message he left in my blo…I'm the secret. Me being your mate is the secret?" She asked, looking for confirmation of her thoughts.

"I'm not going to let him harm you. You can change your mind any time about this deal we have, but I will still continue to protect you. I was a coward and the fact that he was near you…" Malfoy trailed off, his anger growing.

"How did he get my blood Malfoy?" She pried gently.

Malfoy shook his head no. His hand clutched his fork and his arm flexed.

"I need to know Malfoy. I need to know what I'm up against here. What _we_ are up against," she clarified.

"The blood was only a few hours old from the smell of it. He didn't get it from the trash. He got it directly from you," Malfoy said through closed eyes.

Hermione felt like she might be sick again. Her mug shook in her hand, coffee splashed onto the table, staining the wood. It still didn't explain how he was able to obtain the menstrual blood. The panic attack sneaked up on her. Her breathing became rapid and soon she was hyperventilating. Malfoy was looking at her with concern. She thought she heard him call her name, but the room was closing in on her. She gripped the sides of her chair, attempting to stop herself from falling. She heard a chair scrape against the floor and footsteps. The ringing in her ears had started and she slumped over to one side. A pair of strong arms caught her in time, stopping her from hitting the floor. She felt a warm, calloused hand stroke her hair. The tunnel was trying to close in, but the soothing strokes were prying the tunnel back open. A deep voice washed over her like cool April showers. Her breathing slowed and she was able to inhale a little deeper.

"That's right. Inhale…exhale," the voice led, breathing right along with her.

The room stopped spinning, and she slowly opened her eyes. Malfoy was above her and let out a relieved breath.

"Do these happen often?" He asked quietly.

She nodded her head yes, embarrassed tears prickling her eyes.

"Let me help protect you, Granger. We can drop the mate stuff altogether if you want, but let me protect you. Please?" Malfoy pleaded.

Hermione was always protecting other people. Her whole life had been dedicated to that. She was tortured to protect Harry. She risked her life countless times, fought in a war, and dedicated her career to protect others from oppression.

"It might be nice to have someone looking out for me for once," she said out loud.

He rewarded her with that crooked smile again.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I promise I'm going to try to respond to reviews more, but know I really appreciate them! Life is about to get CRAZY ya'll, so I'm working on the next couple of chapters. I'm trying to make these longer. In all honesty I feel insecure about my writing, so be patient with me! You can see what I'm up to in life on twitter sierraemilie, or Vine: Sierra Emilie. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. This is purely for fun!**

* * *

 **Ministry of Magic - Head Auror Potter's Office**

"Auror Potter, we've just got a new homicide case from the Muggle police. Our contact said there were traces of magic in the house and around the property," Dean Thomas said, flipping through a file as he sat in front of Harry's desk.

Harry groaned into his teacup. He had just gotten into work when Auror Thomas entered his office. Dean and Harry had gone through Auror training together, and Dean's knowledge of the Muggle world had been proven beneficial to the department. Dean shot him a sympathetic look and continued reading the file.

"Shit," Dean cursed under his breath as he turned the page.

"What? What it is it?" Harry asked urgently.

"Take a look at the crime scene location," Dean pointed to a section in the bulky file as he handed it to Harry.

"Round everyone up that you can. Call Creevey and have him meet us at the scene. We're going to need to Obliviate some of the Muggle officers. Our contact can help with that," Harry instructed, his face grave.

"Right away, sir," Dean answered, running out of the office.

* * *

 **Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Beings**

The sound of Hermione's heels echoed down the hallway. She waved to a few coworkers as she passed their office. Everyone looked exhausted. It had been three days since the full moon, and two days since Hermione found out about Draco's lycanthropy. She had spent the previous evening dodging Ginny. She knew she'd have to tell her friend what was going on eventually, but out of respect for Draco, she held off. She opened her office door to find piles of paperwork stacked high on top of her desk and sighed heavily. A head popped out from behind the stack, causing Hermione to jump in surprise.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled.

Theo just smiled widely at her. She thought he looked a little demented when he smiled like that.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked with concern and slight suspicion.

Theo kicked up his designer shoes and propped them up on the only clear corner of the desk. Hermione glared at him and pushed his legs off with her briefcase.

"You ruin all the fun Granger," he teased. The weird demented smile was back.

"Should we take you to St. Mungo's?" Hermione asked as she walked around her desk, attempting to push Theo off her chair.

"What? No! Why would you think that?" Theo responded as he stayed firmly in place.

"Just trying to figure out if you've been Confunded to make your face look like that," she said with a shrug.

Theo scoffed at the comment. Hermione gave one last forceful push and Theo fell to her office floor. Hermione sat in her chair, exhaling contently. She pulled a hair tie off her wrist and attempted to put her hair up in a bun.

"Talk to any wolves lately?" Theo asked, smirking as he stood up and dusted off his dress pants.

The hair tie snapped and she shot him a glance before digging into her purse for a new hair tie.

"Yes, I have," she replied, focusing on the contents of her purse.

Theo's face fell and his blue eyes narrowed. "…And?" He pressed.

"And don't you think this is…I don't know, a little private now?" Hermione blushed and fidgeted in her seat.

"You're going to help him, right?" Theo's voice grew serious.

"Of course I am," Hermione scoffed.

Theo's face relaxed a little. "Good."

Hermione stared back into his blue eyes for a moment and nodded. She started filling out a report when he interrupted again.

"You won't change your mind right? He's my best mate, Granger." Theo leaned over desk, his eyes shining a little.

Hermione reached over and patted his hand gently. "You're an excellent friend, Theo. I know the consequences if I don't. I promise I won't change my mind," she reassured him. He flashed her a wide smile and blinked away the tears.

"I know he's not the easiest person to deal with. I know he can be impossible most of the time. I also know he has a softer side once you get past the wall he tends to put up," Theo spoke quietly.

"I think I'll make it past the wall, Theo. But I still have a lot to discuss with him," she answered honestly.

He nodded in understanding and then let out a deep laugh. "It's surreal. I've been keeping this secret for years and tried to get him to talk to you so many times. He's a right fool around you," Theo added with a wistful smile.

Hermione fiddled with the buttons on her blouse. "Yes well, I imagine it's because he doesn't approve of the wolf's choice in mate," She looked away, suddenly feeling vulnerable again. She tried to conceal her disappointment.

Theo shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm not so sure about that, Granger," he stated cryptically before leaving her office.

Hermione huffed and stared at the closed door in thought. "What the hell does that mean?" She said out loud. She shook her thoughts away, a few soft curls falling from the bun. She picked up her muggle pen in defeat and got to work.

* * *

It was well past five o'clock when Hermione emerged from the sea of parchment. She pulled her to-do list from her briefcase and read the parchment in conflict.

She walked to the atrium and went to the line of fireplaces. Wizard's and witches waved to her kindly. She returned their greetings with smiles and "How do you do's." She stepped in to the fireplace and spoke "Malfoy Industries Incorporated" as she threw down the powder. After the strange feeling of spinning ceased, she found herself trying to catch her balance in a large foyer. A receptionist behind a glass desk cleared her throat, grabbing Hermione's attention. Hermione brushed off the soot and pulled her hair out of the bun. She shook her curls out and nervously pulled down her skirt.

"Yes, I um, I'm here to see Dra-Mr. Malfoy," She stumbled over her words and heels as she approached the desk. The receptionist was blonde and stunning. Someone she'd expect to be working for Malfoy.

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down. "Do you 'ave an appointment miss…?" The young woman with a slight French accent feigned ignorance as to who the curly witch was. Hermione had seen this before. Witches tended to still have ill feelings towards Hermione because of the negative press they read in Witch Weekly. Hermione was always painted as the slut who toyed with men's feelings, no thanks to Rita Skeeter. It was all poppycock.

Hermione mustered a fake smile. "I don't have an appointment, but it's Miss Hermione Granger," She said with a slight bite to her voice.

The receptionist returned the fake smile. "Right. Vell, I'm afraid I cannot let you in to zee Mr. Malfoy without an appointment," She replied.

Hermione smiled a coy smile. "Well that's no problem. I can wait! Mr. Malfoy usually gets off in about what, fifteen minutes? I'll just sit right here until he's done!" she commented cheerfully, plopping herself down into the expensive waiting room couch.

The receptionist sighed in defeat when she realized she wouldn't get rid of Hermione. She scribbled on some parchment and waved her wand over it. The memo folded up into a bird and flew down the hallway to Malfoy's office.

A second later, a door down the hall banged open and hurried footsteps echoed throughout the room. The sound made the receptionist jump, while Hermione continued to smile at her.

Malfoy stepped into the foyer and made a beeline for Hermione.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" He said, concerned.

"Everything's fine, Mr. Malfoy. I just have something to discuss with you. Your receptionist said you couldn't see me without an appointment, so I was just going to wait here until you got off work," she explained calmly.

Malfoy gave her a curious look as his grey eyes scanned her over. He seemed to be satisfied that she was okay. He stood taller as he approached his receptionist who looked on, eyes wide.

"Miss Delacour, I don't appreciate you deciding who and who cannot come into my office. If you value your job, I would appreciate it if you asked me before assuming things. Do you understand?" Malfoy almost growled at the girl.

Hermione hadn't seen Gabrielle Delacour in years. She certainly had grown up, obviously not with the same manners as Fleur.

"Yez sir," Gabrielle replied quickly.

Malfoy nodded his head and turned back towards Hermione. "I was just about to leave, Miss Granger. Would you mind accompanying me to dinner?" He asked in a professional tone.

Hermione watched as Gabrielle pretended to be busy as she eavesdropped.

"Not at all, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione played along.

"Wait right here, I just need to grab my coat," Malfoy said before hurrying off down the hall.

Hermione tried to cover her laugh with a cough as Gabrielle avoided all eye contact. Malfoy returned a minute later, running a comb through his hair. She thought he looked quite handsome doing something so…ordinary. He led her through the Floo, arm in arm. When they landed in Diagon Alley, Hermione was struck by how comfortable she could be in his presence when she stopped overthinking everything.

They walked down the cobbled street. Even though they were a respectable distance apart, their footsteps were in sync. Hermione wasn't paying much attention to where they were going. It wasn't until they stepped out into muggle London that she stopped walking all together.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy asked.

"Where are we going?" Hermione returned.

He gave her that stupid crooked smile again and pointed down the street. "To dinner, remember? I know a great place. It's just a block or two down," He explained.

She sucked on the inside of her cheek and wished the blush that painted her cheeks would disappear. He waited for her to catch up before walking down the sidewalk, this time a little closer.

She breathed in the crisp, fall, air, appreciating the fact that it wasn't cold enough for a warming charm. Muggles walked in groups, happily chatting away. Others ignored the world around them, earbuds in. Hermione knew Malfoy would be able to hear the music playing from the Walkmans. She silently wondered if he actually knew any Muggle music. The blonde man next to her walked with ease. She had known him for years and he was a complete mystery. No, that still wasn't right. This man was a fascinating, confusing, frustrating, wonderful mystery.

'Merlin help me," she thought as they walked through the restaurant entrance.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Happy Friday! I'm drinking wine and vining. But really, what's new. Here's the next chapter! Thanks to my Beta for consistently editing things the same day I send them.**

 **Disclosure: J.K Rowling owns everything Potter related. This is purely for fun.**

* * *

The little Italian restaurant was beautiful. A warm glow coming from an ordinary fireplace radiated around the whole dining room. Candles lined the tables that were surrounded by the young and old. The décor was simple and elegant—crisp white tablecloths and swan napkins. The host led them to the table closest to the fire. Hermione sighed in pleasure as the warmth surrounded her. She looked on as the owner came over to say hello to Malfoy. It was obvious he was a regular. Malfoy ordered them a bottle of red wine in poor Italian.

Hermione took a moment to watch the flames dance across the logs.

"It's nice to sit near a fireplace and not worry about people stumbling through," Malfoy said, interrupting her daydream.

The comment threw her off. Ron had tried to use the Floo at her parents' house one summer. When she said it wasn't connected to the Floo network, Ronald went on for hours about how weird it was. He couldn't see past what was normal for him to appreciate the detailed carvings on the wood or the smell from the pinion wood burning. He could never appreciate the pictures lined on the mantle, giving him a glimpse into her childhood. To think that Draco Malfoy of all people was more comfortable in the Muggle world than Ron Weasley was mindboggling.

"Yes, it is nice," she finally said, realizing she had been staring at him while lost in thought.

Malfoy tilted his head slightly. "A lot on your mind, Granger?" he asked.

A blush crept up her neck as Hermione took a sip of her wine.

"Go ahead, Granger. What did you need to talk about?" Malfoy encouraged. He leaned in a little closer on his side of the table, giving his full attention.

"Well, I need to figure out what I'm going to tell Ginny. She's my best friend. I've never kept anything from her and she's starting to get impatient. She owled me four times today. I understand if you'd rather her not know what's going on. Perhaps I can come up with someth-"

"Granger," Malfoy held up a hand and interrupted. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his five o'clock shadow.

"The she-Potter will probably try to pry information out of her husband if you don't respond soon. I'm imagining she's his weakness," Malfoy reasoned. "You can tell her, Granger, just not when I'm in the Manor," he consented, taking a swig from his glass.

"Was there anything else?" he asked, noticing she was still fidgeting.

Hermione fished a list out of her skirt pocket and pushed it across the table. Malfoy raised a quizzical brow as he opened the parchment.

"A to-do list for the week?" Malfoy waved the parchment with a smile on his face.

"Just read the bottom of it," she said anxiously.

Malfoy's smile faded as he read down the list. The hand not holding the parchment clenched into a fist.

"I know this was one of the main agreements we made. I just can't let Theo do all the work here. This was my baby, so to speak," Hermione cut in, speaking quickly.

Silver eyes met brown. Malfoy took some calming breaths and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He stared at her with an unreadable expression as she tried to not to fidget.

The staring contest was interrupted by the waiter bringing them their food. Malfoy muttered a polite thank you in Italian. He took great care to unravel his swan napkin and place it across his lap.

"Okay," he said almost offhandedly.

"I can go to the Den?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and took a bite of his pasta.

"Yes, Granger. This is your work after all. I know I'm a prick, but I'm working on trying to change that, okay?" Malfoy's lips quirked up slightly.

"Are you sure? What about your wolf? Will he be okay?" she asked.

Malfoy sighed heavily and reached over the table to grab her hand in his. She shivered as their fingers touched.

"I know I said I didn't want you going there. That was a moment where the wolf was more present. He's…protective, but I know I could never forgive myself if I kept you from your passions. You will always have a choice in this, Granger, and I'm sorry if the wolf's selfish tendencies hinder that choice," Malfoy spoke quietly. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

Hermione blinked in surprise at the tenderness of his words. They ate in silence for a few minutes before movement from the entrance caught her eye.

A rookie Auror whose name she couldn't remember was awkwardly looking around the restaurant. He was wearing denim jeans, a white t-shirt, a red tie, and gloves. He obviously had no idea how to dress in the muggle world. He finally spotted Hermione staring at him with wide eyes and shuffled his way over to their table. Malfoy turned at the sound of his footsteps and sent an apologetic smile to the staff looking on.

The Auror cleared his throat awkwardly and leaned over the table, discretely flashing his badge. Malfoy's eyebrows knitted together. Hermione's stomach dropped.

"Miss Granger, I'm going to need you to come with me," he said in a poor attempt at a professional voice.

"Okay, But he comes with me," Hermione nonchalantly requested, pointing a delicate finger at Malfoy.

Malfoy's mask slipped into a look of surprise. Hermione wiped the corners of her mouth with the cream-coloured napkin and looked up to the Auror, who looked just as surprised.

"Is that going to be a problem?" she questioned, turning her charm on. She batted her eyelashes a little and the Auror blushed. 'Honestly, where did Harry find these new recruits,' she thought to herself, holding herself back from rolling her eyes.

"N-no Miss Granger," the young Auror stuttered.

"Oh, good. You can wait outside as we pay and box up our leftovers," she ordered in her best bossy voice.

The man nodded his head several times and tripped over his feet as he walked outside.

Hermione graciously accepted the take-away boxes the waiter, who was obviously eavesdropping, handed her. Malfoy handed the waiter a Muggle debit card, not looking away from Hermione. She busied herself by carefully placing their food in the containers.

"Granger," Malfoy said.

"Hmm?" she responded as she drained the wine in her glass.

"I can hear your heart rate picking up. What do you think is going on?" He pried.

She set the wine glass down a little too hard and winced. "You know, you having excellent hearing has a lot of downfalls," she commented, trying to push the worry away. She pushed herself away from the table and adjusted her outfit.

Malfoy got up as well, tucking the boxes under his arm and grabbed her arm with the other one.

"Hermione, wait. You think something has happened?" he asked in concern.

Hermione looked down at his hand that was holding her arm. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the comforting touch. When she looked back up, she raised a hand and smoothed out the wrinkles on his forehead. Hermione gave him a tight smile and adjusted so her arm was hooked through his own. "Let's go before I get that Auror in more trouble with Harry," she said, leading him out of the restaurant.

* * *

 **Ministry of Magic - Auror Office**

"What the hell took you so long?!" Harry yelled at the Auror as Hermione and Draco were led into the packed office. Aurors were in every single cubicle, talking quickly into Muggle phones and writing furiously on parchment. Hermione squeezed Malfoy's arm a little tighter, hoping it would ground her.

"I'm sorry, sir. It took me a little while to navigate Muggle London," the Auror tried to explain.

Harry held his hand up and took a frustrated breath. "Get back to work, Auror Smalls. Come into my office, 'Mione," Harry said as he walked down the hall.

Hermione looked up at Malfoy with big, doe eyes. He gave her a small smile of encouragement and led the way down the hall.

Harry was pulling something out of his filing cabinet, facing away from the door when the two walked in. When he turned around he faltered in his step when he saw Hermione practically leaning against Malfoy.

"Sit down, 'Mione," Harry said gently.

Malfoy led her to the chair and scooted his own closer to her. Hermione's knee was bouncing up and down.

"There was an incident in your old neighborhood. Greyback paid a visit to your childhood home," Harry said slowly.

"Did he get in?" she asked, surprising herself by how collected she sounded.

"He did," Harry said.

Hermione snorted, letting out nervous laugh. "He probably wasn't happy with what he found," She sarcastically replied.

Harry shook his head no and looked down. Malfoy looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

Hermione sighed and turned towards Malfoy. "My parents are safe and tucked away in Australia. I erased their memories of me and sent them to Australia after I returned home from sixth year. Heavy wards were placed on the house and once the war was over, I went back and cleared the whole place out. I only placed simple wards over it, out of habit I suppose. Greyback must have been furious to find it abandoned," Hermione explained, turning back to face Harry, blinking away the tears.

"He was. I'm so sorry, Hermione, but he murdered your neighbor," Harry spoke quietly as he handed Hermione a picture of herself and a woman.

Hermione's hand shook as she accepted the photograph. The grief hit her like freight train. She covered her mouth in horror as tears spilled from her eyes and gasps poured from her mouth.

Malfoy grasped her limp hand and held it tightly as he took in the still picture of Hermione hugging and smiling with a dirty-blonde headed woman.

"We took this a month ago. She was my only friend growing up but we went to different schools. Her parents had moved away as well and she took over their family home as she attended university. She figured out my secret pretty quickly actually. I can't—oh gods. Oh gods…" Hermione trailed off, a sob ripping from her throat. She pressed the photograph to her chest as Malfoy pulled her close. She was unsure how long she sat, weeping into his pressed dress shirt. He whispered condolences into her ear, rocking her back and forth. She pulled away, a fire in her eyes that Harry hadn't seen in years.

"Catch that bastard Harry. Catch him and bring him down," she growled through a hoarse voice.

"We'll catch him. I promise," Malfoy corrected, placing a kiss on her forehead.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the states. I'm cooking up a storm, but had a second to post this. Thank you for the continued reviews and support! It means so much.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. This fic is purely for fun and I don't make a cent off of it.**

* * *

Malfoy had just shut Hermione's bedroom door when he heard the click of heels stopping down the hallway. He leaned his head on the wall for second and groaned. They had spent hours at Harry's office. Hermione tried to give as much information as she could about her friend in between sobs. Malfoy held her tightly, encouraging her to get out one more sentence, anything that might be helpful to the investigation. When she asked for a few minutes alone, he fetched a cup of tea, slipping in a few drops of sleeping draught. In her state of grief, she didn't spot the potion, and chugged it down. It took exactly one minute before she was asleep, slumped over in the chair. Malfoy carried her through the Floo and asked a Potter elf that he couldn't remember the name of to tuck her into bed.

Malfoy pushed himself off the wall and cooled his expression as he stared into the face of a fuming Ginny Potter.

"No one will tell me what the fuck is going on. So guess you get to be the lucky one to do it, Malfoy!" she barked with sarcasm.

He didn't respond, just walked down the hallway towards the library. He could hear her huff and curse under her breath as she stalked behind him.

When they entered, Malfoy chose to pace, ignoring the glaring daggers she was sending his way. Not that he'd admit this out loud, but he was feeling extremely nervous. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, the She-Potter always bothered him. A little nagging voice in his head reminded him that he didn't like Ginny Potter because she got to spend so much time with Hermione. Malfoy mentally told that voice to sod off.

"She was going to tell you, but honestly, I don't think she should have to. This involves me, so, here we are," Malfoy finally said.

"Well? Out with it, ferret!" Ginny snapped her fingers impatiently. The noise made his ears twitch. Malfoy wondered if she barked at Potter this way.

"I'm a werewolf," He blurted out, wondering just when his compulsive behavior started to get the best of him. He looked up to see her mouth gaping open. She looked a bit like a fish when she did that.

"You're a…but…how?" she stuttered through her thoughts.

Malfoy sneered at the ginger. "Come on, She-Potter. Form complete sentences. Stop acting like your bumbling dunce of a brother," Malfoy drawled.

"You're a werewolf? That's why you've been acting so…strange?" Ginny deduced.

He let out a snort and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on a bookshelf. "Boy, nothing gets past you Gryffindors," he sarcastically replied.

Ginny narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a calculating stare. "What does this have to do with Hermione?" she asked suspiciously.

"She's my mate," he said plainly, noting that saying it out loud again felt extremely odd. His tongue felt dry and stuck to the roof of his mouth. The gaping fish face was back. Malfoy walked slowly across the room and filled a glass with Firewhiskey at the mini bar. The fire sliding down his throat gave him a shot of confidence he was lacking to face this fiery redhead. Malfoy finally sat in the chair across from her, his shoulders hunching a little less with each sip.

Horror suddenly spread across her face as a thought came to her. Within a second Ginny was up, wand pointing at his chest, murder in her eyes. "YOU RAPED MY FRIEND!" she accused.

Malfoy was prepared for this kind of reaction. He put the glass down next to his shiny shoes and held his hands up in surrender. "I would never! Your husband knows about everything. Do you really think that Harry Potter, Hermione Granger's best friend, would let me near her if I did that or had intentions to do that?" Malfoy quickly explained.

Her eyebrows rose for a second and finally, her wand fell limp to her side, crestfallen. She nodded her head, sending a wave of her scent his way. Malfoy's nose wrinkled in disgust. The smell was too floral and sweet to the point of nausea. He shooed her away and covered his nose.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he added a bit dramatically.

Ginny just sighed and moved across the room, searching for something. She picked up a scarf and levitated it across the room, taking care to make sure it hit him square in the face. The scarf was Hermione's and he breathed the scent in greedily, stopping only when he realized he was making a fool of himself.

"Merlin's hairy balls. You're not lying," she stated, staring at him in shock.

Malfoy shook his head no, letting his fingers run through the silky material. It was a sheer gold with flecks of glittery red. He could feel pieces of glitter getting stuck to his fingers, but decided he didn't mind much.

"She's agreed to this?" Ginny asked in concern.

"She has. Sodding Granger can't not help. But she has the option to leave whenever she wants," he explained, a sad smile on his face.

"What about when you mark her? Can she leave then?" Ginny challenged.

A blush spread across his face and Malfoy cursed himself for not keeping his emotions in check. "We haven't really discussed that part. The option still stands though," he said firmly.

"Malfoy. I don't know much about this. But don't you—I mean you would die if she decided not to go through with it," Ginny spoke in a motherly manner.

"Yes, that's how it works," was all he said in reply, swallowing down the panic that was rising. He squirmed under her scrutiny.

"How long have you been in love with Hermione, Malfoy?" she asked bluntly.

He looked up, eyes wide, letting out a nervous chuckle. "That's ridiculous. Why would you even ask tha-"

"How. Long. Have. You. Loved. Her?" She gave him a knowing look, speaking slowly with each word.

Malfoy took a second too long to reply and Ginny smirked in satisfaction.

"Uh huh," Ginny said, nodding to herself. She stood up and dusted herself off, walking to the French doors. Malfoy was sitting still, completely flabbergasted.

"Malfoy," she called from the doors.

He shook his head from his thoughts and raised a brow at her.

"You're still an asshole. As her best friend, you'd be the last person I'd pick for her," she commented, rolling her eyes at his glares.

"However, I'm willing to admit that I'm completely interested to see how this turns out. Everything happens for a reason and all that," she continued.

"Didn't know you believed in fate," Malfoy dryly replied.

"Yes well, I AM married to Harry Potter," Ginny pointed out, throwing her hair over her shoulder in a sassy manner before strolling out of the library.

As he heard the door click shut Malfoy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He tucked his head in between his legs and let out an aggravated snarl.

"What the fuck is your game plan here?" Malfoy asked out loud, looking up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure if he was talking to Merlin himself or the wolf. In that moment, he loathed them both.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: HAPPY FREAKING DECEMBER! My favorite month ever, and not just because it's my birthday month. Who am I kidding? It has everything to do with that. December brings on waves of nostalgia and makes me feel warm inside. So prepare yourselves in the future for some steamy, smutty, loveliness. Hope everyone is enjoying life. In response to marianna79's review, BUT DID SHE?! DID SHE?! Ginny Potter is interesting. She's a bit nosey so I'm imagining she won't be able to resist meddling for very long. Thanks for the reviews and PM's! You can find me on twitter sierraemilie or on Vine under Sierra Emilie. I've been contemplating getting a tumblr account. I avoided the site during all of my teen years. Should I just go ahead and get one? At almost 22, am I considered too old for Tumblr? I genuinely want to know all the thoughts.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. I write this purely for fun.**

* * *

 **Potter Manor- 7:00 AM**

Hermione grabbed her briefcase, gripping it tightly as she threw an old school scarf around her neck. She opened the door and flew down the hall, only stopping in the kitchen for an apple and coffee. As she entered the foyer, Malfoy was standing, looking at her with a slight frown.

"Going somewhere, Granger?" Malfoy asked as he watched her slip into her black pumps by the Floo.

Hermione ignored his questioning, choosing instead to shove the apple in her mouth as she wrapped the scarf tightly around her neck.

"Hermione," Malfoy said in a firm tone.

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she finished biting into the apple. She chewed slowly and turned to face him with brown shimmering eyes.

"Where are you going?" He asked in concern. She swallowed down the bite thickly and watched him from behind lashes that were becoming increasingly wet.

"I need to get some things done," she choked out.

"Like what?" Malfoy challenged with a raised brow, casually rolling his sleeves down.

Hermione saw a slight flash of his Dark Mark, noticing he hadn't glamoured it yet. His other scars were covered, though. She took a second to take in his attire, trying not to roll her eyes. It wasn't even eight in the morning and he looked impeccable.

"Do you get dressed when you wake up?" Hermione asked distractedly.

Malfoy seemed to be caught off guard by her question. He looked down at his slacks, a perfect crease going down each pant leg. He had chosen a dark green knitted long sleeve sweater that was tucked neatly into his trousers. He saw his reflection in his polished black dress shoes, his white hair glowing against his choice of dark clothing.

"I do. I always have since I was a child. Except on days after the full moon," he said, curiosity lingering behind his concerned eyes.

"Huh. That's typically what the elderly do," she said, picking up her briefcase once more.

Malfoy took several steps towards her and grasped her forearm lightly.

"Where are you going, Granger?" He asked again in a soft soothing voice.

She looked back and forth between his eyes, worrying her bottom lip.

"To the Den," she answered hesitantly.

"Are you okay to work today?" He asked sincerely, his old childish mocking tone never coming forward like she sometimes anticipated.

"I need to keep myself busy. I can't—it's too hard to think about," she whispered, knowing he'd hear her meaning clear as a bell.

Malfoy stared at her for another moment before nodding to himself. When he let go of her arm she put the apple in her mouth, preparing to leave.

"May I come with you?" he asked, seeming surprised by his own words.

Her face lit up with a smile, and the corner of her eyes crinkled slightly.

He took the smile as a yes and ran back to his room to grab his coat. When he returned, she watched as he slipped it on, his long fingers fastening the buttons. A section of his hair fell into his eyes. He shook his head, flicking the hair back into its proper place, and she took a moment to appreciate that he had stopped slicking it back with gel. He paused, a smirk appearing on his face when he realized she had been staring. Hermione ducked her head behind her curls to hide the blush. 'Always sodding blushing,' she thought to herself.

"Ready?" He asked, the smirk still planted across his mouth.

Hermione nodded her head towards him in a professional sort of manner and led the way to the apparition point. The cool breeze and sound of crunching leaves allowed her to clear her mind of whatever the hell those thoughts were.

* * *

 **The Den**

As soon as they stepped into the building, Malfoy started to breathe heavily. Hermione looked at him uncertainly, but he hadn't seen it. His eyes were closed as they waited for the lift. He was too focused on his breathing, not realizing he was scooting closer to her. The ding of the lift's arrival startled him. Hermione's small, soft hand grasped his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

That was when the doors opened and he got his first sight of another wolf. He felt the shift instantly. Malfoy stared into the man's similar amber eyes and stepped in front of Hermione, a scowl on his face.

Hermione paid no mind to his behavior and stepped into the lift after him. The man's eyes widened as he inhaled and looked back and forth between Hermione and Malfoy. The man had flattened himself on the other side of the lift.

"Good morning, Mr. Matthews," Hermione said cordially. Malfoy's eyes narrowed at the man, who looked quite frightened now.

"Morning," the man mumbled, not daring to look at Hermione.

The doors opened and Mr. Matthews practically flew out of the enclosed space. When the threat was gone, Malfoy's heart rate slowed, his posture relaxing a little more. He felt Hermione's breath on his back, only just then realizing how close she was behind him. He turned to look down at her, trying to fight down the embarrassment rising.

The negativity he was expecting to be in her brown eyes was missing. Instead, she sported an amused expression, but carried on like that act of protectiveness hadn't just occurred.

The lift rose higher, Hermione shifting closer to where their feet touched. Malfoy held in her scent, as if he was preparing to dive into the deep, foreign ocean. 'Well,' he thought, 'that's not completely far off, is it?'

* * *

The morning went by quickly. Hermione would have liked to add "with minimal interruptions," but that wasn't the case. Theodore had come into her office no less than eight times, hoping to catch Hermione and Malfoy "mating."

It became a sort of game that morning. Malfoy would signal to Hermione that Theo was about to burst in. Hermione would then grab a muggle pen and as soon as the door opened, she'd chuck the pen at Theo. Out of the eight interruptions, she managed to hit her target four times. Considering her lack of hand-eye coordination, she was feeling quite proud of herself. Especially when she hit him right in his stupid, pretty-boy, pureblood face. Malfoy ignored their antics and continued to read.

She knew he was trying to distract himself, just as she was from her own grief. Witches and wizards who stayed long term at the Den were constantly streaming in and out of her office. They'd enter, pause, sniff the air, look back and forth between Malfoy and Hermione, and nervously speak with her. Malfoy's posture would stiffen and he'd be gripping his book tightly, holding himself back from—well, she wasn't entirely sure. It was obviously causing Malfoy some sort of stress. Then there was Margaret. Margaret was her assistant, a seventeen-year-old girl fresh out of Hogwarts who practically drooled when she saw Malfoy. When she walked in the door, Malfoy made a foul face and covered his nose and mouth. Hermione looked on curiously. The assistant spent the rest of the morning coming up with excuses to come into Hermione's office. As soon as Margaret would leave, Malfoy would let out a heavy breath, inhaling deeply. Hermione found the whole thing to be quite funny.

"You're staring again, Granger," Malfoy's voice cut into her wandering thoughts. She blinked twice before she realized that she was, in fact, staring. She frowned, looking down at her unfinished progress report on the Den's first month.

"I'm having trouble focusing," she admitted.

Malfoy gave her a sympathetic smile and stood up. His height still seemed to take her by surprise. He grabbed his coat and slipped it on before grabbing her own. He walked around her desk and she was suddenly having difficulty breathing. Malfoy flashed her that crooked smile and pushed her chair away from the desk with his foot. He made a show of bowing and offering up his hand. She giggled, actually _giggled_ at his display of grandeur and accepted his hand. Malfoy then hoisted her out of her seat, causing her to stumble slightly. He caught her around the waist and pulled her closer. She was sure she had stopped breathing all together. He pulled her coat over her shoulders and tucked a stray curl behind her ear before suddenly pulling away. She shivered at the loss of warmth. She put her coat on correctly, taking great care with her buttons to calm the raging blush.

Hermione looked up into the perfectly blank face of Draco Malfoy in slight disappointment. He had been acting so…sweet, but it obviously didn't have the same effect on him as it did for her. 'He's just doing these things because of the wolf,' a voice in her head reminded her.

"It's around lunch time. Thought it might be nice to go get something. Meet me by the Floo?" was all he said before walking quickly out of her office.

Hermione closed her eyes, chastising herself a bit more for acting like some schoolgirl with her first crush.

"Pull it together. You're being a complete and utter fool," she spoke angrily to herself. Hermione straightened her posture and cooled her expression. She walked out of her office in her best businesswoman strut. She could almost ignore the way it felt to be pressed up against him. Almost.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated recently. I work in retail and while this week has been named hell week, it's actually been the whole month of December. Maybe even November. It's rough ya'll. So I finally finished this freaking chapter and sent it off to my lovely Beta, Frogster yesterday. Going to try and write something before Christmas but no guarantee's. SO MUCH TO DO. I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO. I'll wish you fantastic readers an early Happy Christmas. Wish we could all be together in the Great Hall feasting.**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. I write this for fun!**

* * *

"Do you work?" Hermione asked Malfoy through a huff of breath.

It was now Thursday, and Malfoy had accompanied Hermione to the Den for four straight days. It wasn't that she particularly minded. Her initial thought was that it would be great for Malfoy to see other wizards and witches live their day-to-day lives while being open about their Lycanthropy. He was even on the track to making a friend—a wizard by the name of Luke who was only a few years older. They bonded over some Quidditch team during dinner one night in the cafeteria. Luke had been one of the permanent residences of the Den and explained to Malfoy how he had been homeless and living on the streets of Muggle London before Lupin's Law.

"Why Muggle London?" Malfoy had asked Luke with interest.

Luke had smirked, looked Malfoy dead in the eyes and proudly announced that he was a Muggleborn. Malfoy's eyes widen momentarily, before going back to the safe subject of the World Cup.

So yes, there were some good things about having Malfoy hang out at the Den. The downside was that it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to concentrate with him in her office. He was sitting there with his perfect posture, perfect hair, perfect teeth, clothes, and perfect little glances in her direction. She wanted to hex him.

Malfoy smirked over his copy of The Quibbler. He folded it neatly and sighed dramatically.

"I do, in fact, work, Granger. However, Malfoy Incorporated is well staffed and I trust them to get the things done that need to get done. I'm there when I have to be. It's our slow season until December, so I'm not worried about a little time off," he explained in an arrogant tone that made her glare in his direction.

She tried to ignore his stares as she got back to working. What he said next made that virtually impossible.

"The next full moon is coming up in two weeks and I feel…better? Is that the word? Yes, I feel better, calmer even when I'm around you. In the past it hasn't been like this," he blurted out.

He hadn't turned away from his little confession. She held his gaze, her face growing hot. She ducked her head behind her curls and cleared her throat. "I'm glad it's helping," she responded in a quiet voice.

"What's your favorite color?" Malfoy asked.

Hermione let out a little laugh. "What?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I asked what your favorite color is. You're my mate and I don't even know the basics about you. I do have a guess as to what it might be though," he explained.

Her eyebrow rose a little higher. "Let's hear it then," she asked nonchalantly.

"Definitely not Gryffindor colors," He said with a knowing smirk. She gaped at him as if she was going to deny the claim. He scooted his chair up to the desk and rested his chin in his hand, observing her. "You wear them because you're proud of your house. But for a Gryffindor, you sure wear a lot of green," he said, pointing to her forest green blouse. His smirk grew into a look of triumph when she scoffed.

"That's preposterous. I don't wear a lot of green!" She refuted.

Malfoy let out a small laugh. "Oh, really? Is that so, Granger? Let's see then, you have about four different green tops, two green skirts, and let's not forget about that necklace you've worn since about fifth year," He listen off on his fingers.

Hermione instinctively reached for the gold chain under her shirt and pulled it out. She looked down at the simple emerald green jewel set behind gold.

"How?" She asked, clutching the necklace.

Malfoy's smile dropped as she looked at him with uneasy eyes. He scoffed, but it didn't hold the same effect as it usually did. "You were always messing with that thing at Hogwarts. The library, the Great Hall, even in bloody class! Every exam, over breakfast, every time I was in the library, I could hear that fucking chain scraping back and forth as you fiddled with it. Obviously, you've found some other obnoxious means of dealing with stress," he rambled on.

Hermione raised a delicate brow, still clutching the necklace. She leaned forward in curiosity, examining the scowl on his face. "Like?" She asked.

He looked like he was waiting for her to continue, but she hadn't. He folded his arms over his chest and shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Full sentences, Granger," he drawled.

"I'm asking what these—what did you call them?—'obnoxious means of dealing with stress' are. What do I do, Malfoy?" Hermione spoke in a voice that came out much huskier than she intended.

* * *

 **Potter Manor - Master Bedroom**

"Back up. YOU, Hermione Granger, said that to him?" Ginny asked in astonishment.

"I know! I don't know where that boldness bloody came from!" Hermione groaned out, tugging at her curls in anguish.

"How did he respond?" Ginny inquired as she poured more wine into each of their glasses.

Hermione's face instantly turned red despite her efforts to pull herself together. "I don't know Ginny. I suppose, the wolf was more…present," She vaguely answered.

Ginny studied her friend as the blush darkened under the scrutiny. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth followed.

"He kissed you didn't he?!" Ginny squealed, bouncing from excitement on her bed.

"Shh!" Hermione attempted to quiet her friend down, looking nervously at the closed bedroom door.

Ginny pushed Hermione's frantically waving hands away. "Harry doesn't give two shits. You know this. Plus, I casted a silencing charm on the door when you dragged me in here in a state of panic. Now, tell me EVERYTHING. What prompted the kiss besides your blatant flirting?" Ginny pried.

Hermione bit her bottom lip once and realizing what she was doing, jumped out of the bed, pacing.

"Right, so I asked him…that. He sort of, crossed over the desk and well, I stood up. His eyes flashed amber, which is a telling sign that the wolf is present. I mean the wolf is always there. Remus described it as his voice in his head, only it was big, hairy, and loud. Not little at all—"

"HERMIONE!" Ginny interrupted, trying to stop the tangent before it went any further.

"Right. Sorry. Well, according to him, I bite my lip when I'm nervous. It 'drives him crazy'," Hermione ground out, cringing at how unromantic it sounded coming from her voice.

"And?" Ginny asked.

"And that was it. He said it, and then he kissed me," Hermione finished lamely.

'That's not all that happened,' a traitorous voice sang in her mind. Hermione sighed, bringing her fingers up to her lips. This kiss had been different. He had been in more control than the night of the Charity Ball. He had her firmly pinned to the wall. Going on about how much he loved and hated the way she bit her lip. He then proceeded to talk about how she fiddled with her blouse buttons, often forgetting to fasten the buttons that came lose in her worrying. He had ghosted his long finger down her neck, stopping just before he reached her cleavage. She had been breathing so hard, and he was in complete control. Then, he kissed her. And she had kissed back. His cell phone, which she didn't even know he had, rang just then. He pushed away from her only slightly to answer the call. It was work. She stood there, chest heaving, lipstick smeared, as he spoke in a deep, serious voice. It made the hair on her arms raise and heat pool in the pit of her stomach—a feeling she hadn't felt in a very, very long time. He hung up, shot her a smirk, grabbed his coat, and promptly left her office. Not even a goodbye. Hermione had suddenly felt panic at the realization that she was very much attracted to Draco Sodding Malfoy. She ran to the Floo, yanked Ginny into the master bedroom, and there they were.

Snapping fingers in her face brought her out of the memory.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked her friend.

Ginny raised a brow but chose not to comment on the dazed look in her friend's eyes.

"So, I think we've established that there is some sexual tension there," Ginny said bluntly through a coy smile.

Hermione shot her friend a withering look, her curls crackling.

"Oh, calm down a bit would you? Here's my advice. Take it or leave it. I know you, Mione. I know this is going to be extremely hard for you, but I would let this develop the way it develops. You can't calculate how this is going to turn out. You are so selfless to help him out like this, and if he says it's helping, well that's great. If you happen to develop feelings for him, I think that's fine too. Just try, for his and your sake, try not to overthink this…relationship that's occurring between you two," Ginny said with a knowing look.

Hermione took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping as she released some of the tension. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she apologized.

Ginny smiled at her. "Wasn't your secret to tell. You're good for him I think. He's an ass, but he needs a loyal Gryffindor on his side. It might balance things out," she teased.

Hermione chugged the rest of her wine and set the glass down. "Right. Harry is with the kids so let's lock the doors and have a proper girls' night, yeah?" She suggested, effectively changing the subject.

Ginny happily pointed her wand at the door, locking it with gusto. "This. THIS is why you're my best friend," Ginny said as she summoned another bottle of wine.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hey there. Long time no see. Life sometimes gets crazy, but things have officially settled down. This means I'm finally able to get back to writing. I appreciate all the PM's I've gotten over the last few months checking in to see if I'm alive. I also appreciate all those people who stumbled upon this story in my little leave of absence. Ya'll are kind of great. My beta is also really great and came back to help a girl out. Hope this is a good little chapter to help ease us all back into this story. -Sierra**

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. I own nothing and this is purely for fun.**

* * *

Not a word. Not a bloody word from Malfoy since the kiss. Now an owl, Floo call, or singing telegram. Frustration didn't begin to sum up how Hermione was feeling. She could reach out to him, as Ginny reminded her the past several days. But the Grangers were always stubborn. So, Hermione did what she always did. Distracted herself with work.

The full moon was once again approaching. The first month had gone smoothly, but more witches and wizards came out of the woodwork, having heard of the safe haven the Den provided. She was grateful she had told the potioneers at St. Mungo's to triple up on the Wolfsbane. Unfortunately, she had finished the registration of the new members days ago, so her desk was clear of paperwork, which meant the distraction was quickly slipping through her fingers. So she decided to help out in other ways.

Currently, Hermione was in the kitchen, chopping up steak a little too roughly. She thought of their last encounter for the millionth time. He was the most confusing person she had ever met and she hated not knowing exactly what he was thinking. Malfoy had been so attentive after the passing of her friend and then...poof!

"OUCH!" Hermione shouted, dropping the knife on the cutting board with a clatter. She looked down to find her pointer finger bleeding. Stomping feet rushed to her side.

"You okay, miss?" Chip, the cook asked in his thick Brooklyn accent.

She nodded her head slightly and stood there in some sort of dumb shock. Chip realized she wasn't moving and quickly grabbed a towel to clean up her finger. Hermione's cheeks heated up in embarrassment as Chip applied pressure.

"Sorry Chip. I'm afraid I've bled all over the meat," Hermione winced as she glanced at the cutting board.

He let out a deep laugh. "Aye, don't worry 'bout it. I have a feeling no one is gonna mind a little blood. Ya feel me?" he said as he flashed her a wolfish grin she was quickly becoming accustomed to seeing every day.

Chip was Muggleborn, and grew up in New York. He went on a camping trip with his muggle mates when a stray werewolf attacked their campsite. He took the bite to save the rest. The American Ministry of Magic wanted to lock him away. He had heard about the trial for Lupin's Law and fled the country. He was a large, burly man with tattoos. Hermione often thought he looked like a member of a motorcycle gang she'd seen in American magazines. Despite his scary looks, he was a sweetheart. When the law passed, he came to her office at the Ministry. She invited him to the Den. Chip insisted on doing something to contribute to the Den if he was going to live there. She admired his hard working nature. Hermione asked what his hobbies were. Back in New York, he worked at a mom and pop deli as a line cook. She invited him to cook for her the next week. One bite was all it took for her to hire him on the spot, WITH pay. He sobbed when she handed him the first paycheck and refused to call her anything but Miss.

Hermione shook her head and laughed. "I suppose you're right about that," She grabbed the wand out of the back pocket of her jeans and quickly healed herself. As she reached for the knife, Chip's hand jumped out to stop her.

He wore a sheepish smile as he pulled the knife away from her. "Sorry miss. It's just, er..." he trailed off.

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm a hazard, I get it! Now get back to work!" She teased with a wink and made her way out of the kitchen.

* * *

She lazily made her way back to her office. She looked out the large, open windows to see the residents enjoying the semi warm day. It wouldn't be long before the Den was covered in a blanket of snow.

Hermione unlocked her office door with a flick of her wand. As she stepped through the doorway, she tripped over her shoe. Hermione caught herself, effectively avoiding the floor. She was smoothing out her blouse when a chuckle from the corner rang out.

Startled by the noise, Hermione trained her wand on the corner, only to find Malfoy sitting with an amused grin.

The anger quickly came back in full force. "Is there a reason you are hiding out in my office, Malfoy?" she asked curtly.

Malfoy's eyebrows rose by her tone. "Are we back to Malfoy?" he drawled.

Hermione whipped around to face him, her blood boiling. "I'm sorry. I just ASSUMED we were back to that stage!" she yelled.

Malfoy screwed up his face in honest confusion. He stood a little taller as he addressed her. "And why would you think something like that?" he asked, his voice rising slightly.

Hermione laughed and scrubbed her hands over her face in frustration. "I'm getting serious whiplash Malfoy. You kiss me, ignore me, come crawling back, act sweet and considerate, kiss me, ignore me, I'm sensing a pattern here. What do you want? I mean, MERLIN, I have been trying to be understanding in regards to us and your lycanthropy. Am I not doing enough? I get the science behind the symptoms. I understand the mood swings. I just need some fucking clarity, Draco, because I think I'm falling in love with you!" she confessed. She stared at his shocked face as she attempted to catch her breath.

He continued to stare back like a deer caught in headlights. He started to cross the room and she held her hand out to stop him. Slowly, Hermione made her way around, effectively putting the desk between herself and the blond man.

"No. You can't do this. Because when you do this, we kiss. And I-I don't think that's a good idea right now," Hermione stuttered.

He was frozen and she cautiously picked up her purse, careful not to make any sudden movements.

She schooled her face, hoping it was convincing, and took a deep breath. "I think it would be best if you took some time to think about what you want. I don't want you to suffer, but I have to take myself into consideration. Just this once," she stated firmly, before walking swiftly out of her office.

* * *

Hermione didn't want to stay at Potter Manor. She wanted to be home. She wanted her mum and dad. She smiled through watery tears, remembering how she had lain her head in her mother's lap, crying over Ron during Christmas break. Her mother knew just what to say to cheer up a broken heart. She had ordered takeaway and made Hermione's father run to the market for ice cream. Usually, sugar was banned, but that had been an exception. Hermione had sobbed and lamented over Ron and Lavender as Mrs. Granger stroked her hair soothingly. Mr. Granger left the two alone, but later came into Hermione's room to hug her. He'd told her how any boy would be lucky to have someone like her. He'd jokingly offered to beat the "little prick" up, causing Hermione to laugh. Yes, she could really use her parents at this moment.

Hermione had immediately Apparated out of the Den and back to the Manor. She picked up Otis and held him close as she made her way to her room. She dropped him on her bed. He watched her with a tilted head, as she began packing up a few clothes in a bag. Hermione quickly fit a few more items in her bag and gave the puppy a kiss on the head, before walking to the Floo. The puppy came barreling down the hallway, barking as she disappeared through the Floo.

Hermione exited the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace with a small stumble. She saw Hannah cleaning off the counter.

Hannah looked up in surprise. "Hermione! What are you doing here?" She came from behind the counter to hug Hermione tightly.

"I'm just actually looking for a room for a few days," Hermione answered honestly.

Hannah looked at her in concern. She looked like she wanted to pry but thought better of it. Instead she shook her head, a warm smile returning to her features. "Right. Of course 'Mione." Hannah gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and made her way back around the counter. She rang up Hermione for the room, telling her she could stay as long as she wanted, her treat. Hannah then turned to a wall of keys. She levitated a set down, standing on her tippy toes to catch it. She handed them to Hermione and instructed her on how to reach the room.

Hermione thanked her warmly and started making her way up the stairs. She found the room and grazed her fingers over the gold numbers. The keys jingled as she unlocked the door. It was obvious Hannah had done renovations, while still maintaining the Leaky's charm. Hermione thought Tom would have been very proud.

She shucked off her heels and set her bag down, admiring the warm glow the room seemed to emit. She fell rather ungracefully onto the bed and promptly fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm about half way done with the next so I should get that off to my Beta super soon! Hope everyone is enjoying their day. If you want to see what I'm up to in my normal day life, you can find me here: Vine- Sierra Emilie. Snapchat- . Feedback is always great! A little shout out to the new readers!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. I own nothing and write this for fun!**

* * *

Hermione rose out of the Inn's bed slowly. She hadn't slept well. She stretched out her body, slipped into her house shoes, and threw her bathrobe over her body. It was quite early—much too early for the other guests at the Leaky Cauldron to be awake. She knew Hannah would be awake, preparing breakfast for the guests. Hermione thought it would be nice to walk downstairs and have a quiet visit with her. She opened the door, leading out into the hallway with a deep yawn.

A hand shot out and wrapped around her arm tightly, startling her. On instinct she focused her efforts on getting out of the stranger's grip. She reared her left arm back and promptly punched the man square in the face.

"Ow! Bloody FUCK!" the man yelled, effectively dropping her arm. He brought a hand up to his face, attempting to stifle the blood that was now pouring out of his nose.

A deep chuckle sounded from behind her. Hermione pulled out her wand from the robe pocket and pointed it straight into Dean Thomas' face.

"I told you to make yourself known, Rookie!" Dean said through gulps of laughter, completely unaffected by the end of her wand near his face.

As the quick adrenaline rush wore off, Hermione's face morphed into confusion. She lowered her wand, but only slightly.

"Are you quite finished?" Hermione asked sharply as Dean continued to laugh.

He wiped the moisture away from his eyes, trying to school his features into something more serious. It didn't work. He looked past her at the man that was still cursing under his breath, looking for something to stop the bleeding. The laughter started again.

Hermione's lips quirked up and she cleared her throat, hoping to hide her own laughter that was trying to escape.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. Ah, what a way to start the morning, aye?" he said through gulps of air. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and that's when Hermione caught the shiny pin on his robes.

Dean was in full Auror robes. Hermione chanced a look at the man behind her. He was also in full Auror robes. Her face quickly became hot with embarrassment and anger. "Oh fucking hell! I'm going to KILL Harry!"

Dean put up his arms in surrender and smartly took a step back. "Hey now! I'm just following the boss' orders!" he explained.

Hermione took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "And just how many of your lot did he...order to be here this morning?" she asked, surprised by how even-toned she sounded.

"Thewholeforce," Dean muttered incoherently.

"Come again?" Hermione leaned closer with a strained smile.

Dean cleared his throat and looked down at his polished black shoes. "The whole force," he said more clearly, chancing a look at the witch.

"THE WHOLE SODDING FORCE?!" Hermione screeched.

Dean shushed her and looked around at the other closed doors. "We can't talk about this here!" he whispered.

"Oh, and I suppose Harry wanted you to bring me straight to him?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips, looking very much like the prefect she was in school.

Dean would be lying to himself if he said she didn't frighten him, even to this day. "Well...I mean yes—" He didn't get to finish his sentence, as she stormed back into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I'M DRESSED AND FED!" she yelled. Impressively, the sound carried through the wood.

Dean rubbed his head as it was beginning to throb. "Well, that went well," he said to no one in particular. Dean turned to face the idiot he brought along to wake Hermione. He looked like he was about to pass out from the loss of blood.

Dean sighed as he pulled his wand from his pocket. He quickly fixed the rookie's nose and ignored the string of curse words still coming from the wizard's mouth.

"Come on. Get your arse to St. Mungo's. I don't have enough blood replenishing potion on me at the moment. And don't forget to write up a report!" Dean ordered as he hoisted the Auror up, pushing him down the hallway.

Dean sighed heavily, before returning to guarding the door to the room.

* * *

"A full escort through the Ministry? Honestly, this is completely unnecessary. For Godric's sake, I WORK HERE. I bloody well know my way around this building. No! Do not touch me. I do not need you to guide me to Auror Potter's office. Shoo!" Hermione bellowed at the Aurors escorting her through the office. The Aurors scurried away as soon as they crossed over the doorway that lead to the Auror offices.

Harry emerged from his office as soon as he heard the commotion. Dean followed Hermione at a safe distance. "Dean! I sent the force to get Hermione over four hours ago. No Patronus. Just a Floo call from a healer at St. Mungo's that Auror Davis was in their care and recovering! What the hell happened?" Harry yelled at Dean, completely unaware of the anger rolling off of his Muggleborn best friend.

Hermione pushed her best friend quite hard, causing him to lose his balance. "Your office. Go!" Hermione demanded sternly.

He followed her, looking back to see the Aurors snickering. "Don't you lot have work to do?!" Harry yelled before shutting his office door behind him.

He turned around slowly to find Hermione standing with her hands on her hips.

"Care to explain why I woke up to a whole Auror team outside my room?" Hermione inquired.

"Care to explain why you ran off to stay at the Leaky without telling Gin or me?" he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest with a serious expression.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, her tough demeanor faltering.

"Why are you staying at our house, Hermione?" he asked with a raised brow.

Her eyes widened. "Greyback," she whispered. She rushed across the room and hugged Harry tightly. "Merlin. Harry, I'm so sorry. Something happened with Malfoy, and I just needed space. I just didn't even think," she explained in a panicked voice.

He hugged her back briefly, but his frown didn't disappear. "Yes, well. Try to remember next time that a werewolf is out to kill you in cold blood, will you?" Harry sarcastically replied.

Hermione's brows furrowed as she stepped back from Harry. "How did you even find me?" she asked quietly.

Harry snorted and gestured for Hermione to sit down in a chair as he sat behind his own desk. "Well. Let's see. The ferret showed up at the Manor, after days of not being there, which I know you noticed. Is this some sort of weird mate thing you two have going on? Not informing anyone of your whereabouts and just taking the fuck off? Anyway, Ferret shows up, looking upset. I ripped into him about not taking the security that the Manor provides seriously. He explained that something with work came up that kept him at his office for a few days. He also explained that you were angry with him for, what was it? Oh yes, running off. Without notice," Harry gave her a pointed look as she continued to chew on her lip nervously.

He waited a few seconds before continuing. "Well, that was about the time he asked where you were, which I couldn't answer. He thought you were at the Manor, sleeping in your room after you two fought. I followed him to your quarters, only to find a barking Odie, and no Hermione. Malfoy started flipping out. I assured him that you would never go off without telling at least ONE of us where you went. We Apparated to your usual spots until we got to Diagon Alley. Malfoy essentially sniffed you out and I'm sorry, but that will never not be weird. I told him to go to the Manor, as the man was exhausted at this point. I sent the force out to guard over the Leaky. They were supposed to bring you here early this morning. So that's that. Now, explain to me why one of my new Aurors is in the hospital?" Harry finished his long winded explanation with an angry tone.

"I'm a complete fool," Hermione blurted out, jumping to her feet.

Harry watched her face form into a look of anguish. He calmed his nerves with a sip of water and sighed. "You're not a fool. Just made a poor choice," Harry reassured her. He could never stay angry at Hermione for long.

"No Harry. I am a fool. I've been completely selfish and careless about this whole thing," She admitted, now pacing his office.

"Why do I feel like you are talking about something completely different?" Harry asked through a puzzled face, his glasses slipping down his face.

Hermione walked over and pushed his glasses up his face. "Sorry for scaring you. And for punching your Auror in the face," she apologized, smiling sadly down at him.

Harry looked at her in disbelief. "You didn't?" he asked.

She gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. "I've got to get back to the Den, the full moon is tomorrow," she said quietly before making her way out of his office.

When he heard the door click close, Harry laid his head on the stack of reports that needed his signature. He held down the intercom button on his office phone.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" A cool female voice eventually asked through the speaker.

"Yes, Mary. Send someone to get Davis out of St. Mungo's. And would you pass on a message for me?" Harry instructed, suddenly feeling very spent.

"Of course, sir. What's the message?" his assistant answered.

"It's for Draco Malfoy. Tell him that she's fine," he said gruffly.

"Anything else, sir?" Mary asked through the sound of quill hitting a piece of parchment.

"Yes, actually. Tell him that if he doesn't get his shit together soon, I'll kick his arse," Harry said firmly. He heard the quill pause as Mary tried to cover up her chortle with a cough.

Harry took the phone off the intercom and laid his head back down on the stack of reports.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hey there! Here's the next chapter. It's a little longer so I hope ya'll enjoy it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Happy Friday the thirteenth!**

 **Disclosure: J.K. Rowling owns everything Potter related. This is purely for fun!**

* * *

 **The Den - Four hours before the full moon**

The dining hall of the Den was filled with witches and wizards, all of which were pacing, shaking, fidgeting, and looking overall tense. Hermione smiled at Lavender, who was currently helping the healers pass around goblets of smoking Wolfsbane. She tried to keep a light and positive presence in a room full of so much suffering. A few stragglers were coming into the hall.

Theo came up to the front and helped Hermione stand on top of the table. She plastered on a cheerful smile as she addressed the room.

"Welcome back to the Den! We have quite a few more folks here. Let's give them a warm welcome," Hermione's voice projected across the room as she led the clapping.

"Right, well. We are so glad to have you all here, that you've chosen the Den as your safe space, your sanctuary. As always, we provide pre-moon and after-moon care. If you need long-term residency in the Den, please speak with Theodore Nott after the full moon. For the new witches and wizards here tonight, let me give you a quick rundown of how our full moons work. Each of you will be given free Wolfsbane, brewed by the very best. We'll have dinner, and then we will congregate outside in our field. There is a separate area for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable transitioning in front of everyone. Lavender will be there to help guide you to this area, as it's pretty far into the woods. The forest is all yours. We have an impressive amount of land for you to spend the full moon. Bill Weasley will be leading the children in games all night, but anyone is welcome to join. In the morning, take your time. You are in no rush to come back inside. If you need assistance coming back inside, we will have healers at the ready to help you. When you are inside, you're welcome to do as you please. Whether that's finding a room to sleep in, a trip to St. Mungo's, or eating some breakfast. We want you to be comfortable here. If anything isn't to your liking please speak to someone about it," Hermione explained. She looked down at her muggle wristwatch.

"Alright, everyone. Bottoms up. Enjoy your dinner and we will see you in about two hours," Hermione announced before stepping down from the table. The room was filled with grumbling voices as they drank the Wolfsbane. Dinner appeared in front of the Den's guests the second the potion was gone.

Hermione climbed down from the table and started to load up a plate with food.

"All that for you, Hermione?" Theo asked with wide eyes.

She turned to face the handsome pureblood with a careful stare. She tugged on his suit jacket sleeve and pulled him into the hallway, the plate of food balancing on one hand. "Where is he?" she whispered.

Theo knew exactly who she was referring to. His face fell into a practiced indifference. He looked around the hall subtly and spent a great deal of time adjusting his cuffs. "I'm not sure," he mumbled under his breath.

Hermione sighed with impatience. "Please, Theo. I need to be with him before the moon rises," she pleaded.

Theo raised a delicate brow. "You're going to help him?" he asked, not bothering to mask his protective suspicion.

Hermione bowed her head in shame. She fought back the tears that were threatening to spill over. "I haven't been doing a very good job of caring for him," she admitted softly. "Where is he tonight, Theo?" she asked again.

Theo seemed to be mulling over her words, chewing on the inside of his cheek through narrowed eyes. He sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping. "Fine. He's at Potter's Manor. In the forest that backs up to the property," Theo said.

Hermione gave her co-worker a hug with one arm, the other still balancing the plate of food. She turned to leave, but Theo calling out her name stopped her in her tracks. She turned to face him to find his face screwed up, looking very conflicted.

"Just...try. Merlin, TRY not to fuck this up, okay? You two are both being mental, but he needs you to be healthy. I won't lose my best mate over this bullshit," Theo said firmly.

Hermione swallowed thickly. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and turned to the Floo.

Theo watched her as she threw the Floo powder down into the grate and whispered her destination.

* * *

A quick charm on the food kept it warm and protected from the soot. Hermione landed gently in Harry and Ginny's sitting room. She ran down the hall and threw open the back door, the plate floating behind her.

She spotted him pacing on the outskirts of the forest, still quite close to the main house. Her running halted and she tried to slow her heart rate. She stepped on a twig, the sound of it snapping echoing loudly.

Malfoy froze on the spot, burning holes through her as he stared. Hermione summoned her Gryffindor courage and continued to make her way down towards him, focusing her efforts on not tripping over rocks.

She grabbed the plate behind her and stood awkwardly in front of him.

"I brought you something to eat," Hermione spoke meekly, raising the plate up a little.

Malfoy let out a puff of air. He didn't answer. Just continued to stare at her, as if he was trying to judge if she was real or not.

Hermione set the plate down on a tree stump. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she was able to make out more of his features. Draco looked terrible. His eyes were sunken in and his hair was a wreck. His shirt was missing completely, showcasing the muscles and scars that were usually hidden from the public. She thought about the last time she saw him so disheveled. It had been during the war. In all his imperfection, she found him to be painstakingly handsome. This, this is who Draco was.

She closed the distance between them and gently rubbed his arm, which shook under her touch.

That seemed to snap his control. He pulled her against his skin, tightly. One hand fisted her curls. He took the opportunity to tilt her head to the side to expose her neck. Malfoy brushed his nose against the delicate line of her throat and jaw line, inhaling her scent deeply.

Hermione's heart pounded against his chest, the heat coming off of his body searing her skin. A delicious warmth pooled in the base of her stomach.

"You're here," he stated in disbelief. The deepness of his voice sent a shiver down her back.

He held her jaw firmly in his grip. "Will you stay? I can't have you near when, when I change. I just need you nearby," he asked, sounding vulnerable, something that was obviously making the wolf behind his eyes uncomfortable.

Tears sprung to her eyes. She gave him a watery smile and pulled him into a hug. "I won't leave," she promised, whispering in his ear.

Hermione managed to get Draco to eat a few bites of steak. She helped keep his shaking to a minimum by running her hands through his hair as he laid on her lap. She recited the story of "The Three Brothers" from memory, hoping her voice was soothing.

She knew it wouldn't last. She watched her wristwatch obsessively, anxiety and worry settling over the night like a heavy blanket.

She placed a soft kiss on his head, and a moment later he was up pacing again. The tremors were worse.

"I'm not leaving, Draco. I'll come find you in the morning," she reassured firmly.

He nodded wildly, giving her one last glance before sprinting into the forest.

Hermione quickly picked up her wand that was laying on the ground. She threw up as many protective charms and wards that she could remember, finding the comfort in the magic that now surrounded her. She took a deep breath, and looked up to the sky.

It was a clear night. And on any other night she would have stopped and appreciated the brightness of the stars. Perhaps she would have been out here with little James, attempting to hold the wiggly toddler still as she pointed out constellations.

She searched the sky, strategically avoiding the rising moon, until she found what she was looking for. The Draco constellation. It grounded her as she heard a loud howl rip through the quiet night, off in the distance.

She lit her little blue flames and casted a warming charm on the protective bubble around her. She fell asleep with the dragon staring back at her.

* * *

Hermione woke with a start, attempting to get her bearings. She had slept on the cold, hard ground, and her back protested with a sharp pain.

It must have been around five in the morning. She sat up, shaking the leaves out of her hair. The sky was no longer a deep black. The stars were still out with a light blue backdrop. Pinks and light golds were also starting to fill the sky. She turned around to see something outside of her protective charms.

A medical bag, and breakfast on a tray.

"Pinky," Hermione sleepily said under her breath. She stood and stretched, walking over towards the objects.

A little note rested on the tray of food. Hermione picked up the note, confirming her suspicions.

"For Missus Hermione and her wolfy. Love, Pinky," Hermione read aloud, covering a laugh at the fact that the little house elf called Draco her "wolfy".

She brought the food and medical bag, filled with potions, into her bubble. It wasn't quite sunrise yet, and she knew it was safer to wait a few minutes before going off into the forest to find Draco.

Hermione spent the time organizing the potions in the bag. When the forest was filled with gold light and chirping birds, she grabbed her wand and the medical bag, and set off into the forest.

As she entered through the rustling trees she kept her ears peeled for any sounds.

"Fucking, shit, ow!" Draco's voice cursed out through a clearing. Odie was barking in obvious concern over his owner.

"Found him," she laughed to herself. She ducked under some low branches to find Draco cradling his leg. Malfoy was thankfully not nude, but his hands were covered in crimson red.

"Morning, Granger," he said through gritted teeth.

She gasped when she saw the wound on his leg. He was applying pressure with one hand, the other holding a bloodied, sharp stick. She ran over and threw open the bag.

"Take this," she said, shoving the pain of pain potion in his hand. She quickly opened the bottle of dittany and paused as when she filled up the dropper with the tincture. "Are you ready?" she asked urgently.

"Just do it," he said, bracing himself for the sting.

Hermione carefully applied the dittany to the open wound, the flesh smoking as the wound started to close. Malfoy didn't flinch, but continued to curse under his breath. She worked diligently, and once the wound was closed, she grabbed the muggle gauze from the bag, wrapping his leg tightly.

His protests of pain stopped, the potion finally kicking in. Odie sat next to Malfoy, guarding dutifully over him.

"Can you walk?" she asked, absently wiping the blood on her t-shirt.

Malfoy nodded, and she helped him stand. He swayed on his feet and she used all her strength to keep him upright.

"Alright. Hold on. I just need a second," Hermione said as she adjusted him on her arm.

They slowly made their way back up to the Manor. Odie was running ahead of them, barking in urgency.

As soon as they made it inside, Malfoy started to shake. Draco's arm was clammy and his sweat stuck to her shoulder as she tried to make it down the hallway to their quarters. She laid him down on the bed and found him shivering. She gently put a hand on his forehead.

"You're running a fever," she said urgently. Hermione ran to the bathroom and grabbed a washrag. She turned on the tap and ran cold water over the rag.

She walked back to the bed and sat down next to Draco. Hermione began to pat the cold washcloth over his body. She started with his forehead and made her way down his neck. Slowly, Draco's shivering ceased. Hermione hesitated as she worked her way down towards his chest. She knew that this was a very vulnerable moment for Malfoy, and decided to ignore the scars that covered his body.

"Is it always this bad?" she finally whispered, pausing to look in his eyes.

Malfoy nodded, focusing his attention on the way she gently ran the cloth over his body.

A crease appeared in between her brows. Draco lifted a hand, surprising her as he smoothed the crease out. "You'll get wrinkles," he explained.

Hermione bit her lip to keep from smiling and continued to rub the cloth along his chest, effectively wiping away the sweat and dirt that collected on his skin from the forest. She could feel his muscles tense up under the rag.

He stilled her movements, looking at her intently through exhausted eyes.

"Silver," she accidentally blurted out loud, having observed the lack of amber in his eyes.

He tilted his head to the side in confusion and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Hermione," he said, hoping to draw her out of her thoughts.

She raised her head and found him smiling warmly at her. "Yes?" she asked nervously.

Draco rested a hand on her cheek, gently stroking it with his fingertips. He sat up and scooted closer to her. His warm breath washed over her like a gentle summer breeze. Hermione couldn't move even if she wanted to. His close presence had her frozen on the spot. He searched her eyes, a smirk appearing across his lips. "I haven't been completely honest with you," he admitted.

Hermione waited for him to continue, and didn't pull away as he scooted a little closer.

Malfoy seemed to be letting his eyes roam over her face. As if he was trying to memorize every feature for later. Just in case.

"I have loved you for a very long time," he breathed out, a wistful smile on his face. He leaned to one side of her face and let his lips graze over the shell of her ear.

Hermione let out a puff of air as her heart began to race. "What?" she asked dumbly, her brain feeling very much like mush.

"I've loved you for a long time," he repeated before clarifying in a husky whisper, "Before the wolf."

Hermione pulled back to look at him properly and process his words. As her mind finally caught up, a wide smile spread across her face. She pulled him back into an embrace that had obviously caught him off guard as they fell back onto the bed.

He looked at her with watery eyes, and before Draco could get in another word, Hermione closed the distance between their lips.


End file.
